Tease
by paintthesilence
Summary: Axel goes for a third attempt at Junior year, Roxas learns to kiss, Sora likes ladybugs and Riku is sexually frustrated. AU, rated M for language, yaoi, lemonlime in later chapters. [AkuRoku][RikuSora][Zemyx][LeonCloud]
1. What A Tease

Disclaimer: KH does not belong to me.  
AN: Please review! I will bake you cookies!  
Warning: Yaoi! Yay!

Footballs arcing gracefully over the field, happy shouts from excited high school students, everyone wearing their periwinkle gym uniforms… As far as Cloud Strife, high school gym teacher extraordinaire, could tell, class today was perfect. Almost. Cloud narrowed his eyes as he spotted his least favorite student trudging across the fields from the locker rooms, his fiery red hair sticking out everywhere regardless of the Gym Class rule that long hair must be contained. And those shorts – while he had grudgingly agreed to wear the periwinkle blue t-shirt, he outright refused to wear the shorts, opting for illogically long, swishy black shorts instead. Cloud winced as he watched the boy spit out his gum into the grass.

_No regard for the rules… He's hopeless anyway, who is pathetic enough to fail their Junior year twice! Well…_

As the student got closer, Cloud eyed his shirt. While his name was partially in the name box, he had scrawled "Axel" much too big to be contained in the modest space which, Cloud pointed out to himself, was supposed to have the student's _last_ name.

_He doesn't even have the decency to drop out and do us all a favor. Once again, who gets stuck putting up with the brat when he doesn't feel like playing softball! Mr. Strife! Or when he switches all the locks in the locker room? Who gets to go in with the codes and set them all back? Mr. Strife! Or how about that time he –_

"Hey Strifey, looks like good ol' football today, huh?"

Cloud was jolted out of his inner ranting monologue by the smirking teen, who had finally made it across the field.

"Everyone already has a partner for throwing and catching drills, since they bothered to get here _on time_, so I guess you'll have to sit out and I'll be forced to give you a zero for today's class," he hissed. "Go sit by the side and wait for the bell. And don't bother the other students."

"What if I want to play football?"

"Perhaps you should have thought about that before you were twenty minutes late. Now go sit."

After giving Cloud a withering look, Axel traipsed over to the sidelines. However, he did manage, much to Cloud's dismay, to spend the entire rest of class shooting down the other students' footballs with little fireballs. When the bell rang, he shot Cloud a frighteningly sunny grin and followed the crowd of students back into the locker room.

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"Ugh…"

Axel grimaced as he entered the locker room, which had over the course of 45 minutes achieved roughly the same climate as a tropical rainforest and roughly the same smell as a kennel. Pushing his way through the hordes of sweaty boys, he finally reached his gym locker. He had wisely picked a less crowded row at the beginning of the year, so he had room to change. He opened up his locker, then attempted to get out of his too-small gym shirt. He had been planning on not bothering with buying the gym uniform, but 2 weeks into the year Mr. Strife had forced him to get one, and the only shirts left were girls' smalls. It wouldn't have been so bad, since Axel was pretty skinny, but the shirt was a little short, leaving about an inch of exposed skin between the top of his shorts and the end of the shirt. And then there was the other problem. Every time Axel tried to get his gym shirt on or off, it got stuck on his hair. Getting it on was one thing, he could just mash all his hair through. But when it came to taking it off, the shirt always got stuck on his head. He yanked extra hard and finally managed to pull the shirt away from his unruly hair, which immediately sprung back to its regular shape with a soft whooshing sound.

"How do you sleep?"

Axel ignored the voice nearby, assuming whoever it was was talking to someone else. After all, everyone else in his classes was 2 years younger than him, as they had not been held back. This was precisely why he wasn't particularly excited to be in a sauna-type room with a bunch of half-naked boys… They were all 16, and short, and stupid. After a moment he realized the blob in his peripheral vision was one of said boys, and had been addressing him. He turned to look at the blob, who was surprisingly… cute.

"I-I'm sorry, that was probably really rude, never mind," the former blob said, turning slightly red under his mess of blond hair. He looked up apologetically.

_Damn_. Axel studied the boy's eyes. They looked familiar. Really familiar.

"Hey, you must be Sora's brother, aren't you?" he asked, realizing where he had seen that face. "He's a senior now, right?"

The boy nodded. "I'm Roxas."

_Roxas… Well Roxas, you are absolutely fuckable. _

"I, uh, didn't hear what you were saying before. What did you want?"

"Oh, it was nothing," Roxas mumbled, blushing more. "I-I just wondered how you sleep… With your hair, you know? Wouldn't it… I-I dunno…"

_Oh. So you're cute but dumb. _

Axel tried not to laugh. "I-are you serious? It's-it's just hair, it just, you know, mashes down."

"Oh."

An awkward silence ensued, during which time Roxas became painfully aware of his lack of a shirt, due to Axel's not-so-discreet staring. After a few moments of evaluation, Axel finally spoke.

"Listen, I've got next period free and you're pretty cute, so uh… wanna fuck in the showers?" he asked, gesturing toward the locker room showers that no one ever used.

Roxas turned beet red and immediately began to dress at top speed. "N-no thanks, I-I'm not really into that sort of thing…"

"What, you're not into other guys?"

"N-no, that's not it, it was more the-the doing, well, you know, in-in the school showers with a total stranger," he replied, grabbing his backpack and heading for the door.

What was wrong with this kid? Axel had never been rejected before. It was his wolfish good looks and charm! They never failed! He hurried after Roxas, who was quickly making his escape.

Axel managed to catch up to him halfway down the hall and get a hold on his arm.

"Hey hey hey, where are you running off to?" he asked indignantly, holding on tightly as Roxas tried to shake his arm free.

"I have a class," said Roxas, looking sullen and upset. "And I don't even know you. Let go of me, dammit!"

"Well aren't we suddenly feisty?" Axel fumed, pointedly not letting go. "You don't just walk away from someone in the middle of a conversation. Anyway, fine, when's your free period?"

"Let go of me!" Roxas whined, clawing at Axel's kung-fu grip.

"What is your _problem_!"

"I won't have sex with you!" Roxas cried loudly, bursting into tears. "Let go of me…"

Everyone in the hall seemed to stop what they were doing to see the spectacle: A tall redheaded boy wearing gym shorts and no shirt holding onto a sobbing little blond boy who was small enough to be mistaken for a freshman.

_Holy shit, is he really crying! God dammit…_

Axel had never been comfortable around crying people. He let go of Roxas's arm and tentatively patted his shoulder.

"Come on now, don't cry," he stammered, suddenly feeling not only confused but guilty. "I didn't mean to… scare you or whatever…"

Axel's lame words of comfort were not helping. Roxas just stood there, continuing to sob. Looking around, Axel realized that everyone in the area was shooting him death glares.

"Come on," he said, taking Roxas's arm again and dragging him into a nearby broom closet.

"Ohmygod, ohmygod, he's going to rape me…"

"Oh shut up," said Axel, shoving Roxas down to sit on an overturned bucket. He leaned down to look at his face. "I'm not raping you, so just-just calm down and stop crying, would you?"

Roxas sniffed unhappily but the tears stopped, which was good enough for Axel.

"Do you always make scenes like that?"

Roxas glared up at Axel. "At least I don't hit on younger guys in the _locker room_."

"At least," Axel hissed, grabbing Roxas's collar, "At least I don't start _crying_ in the middle of a crowded hallway for _no reason whatsoever!_"

"You're the one half _naked_ in the middle of the 'crowded hallway!'" Roxas retorted loudly, standing on the bucket so he could be face-to-face with the other boy.

"You ran away from me!"

"You're practically stalking me!"

"_You _asked me some dumb question as an excuse to talk to me and then acted all surprised when I suggested what you were _obviously_ wanting and-and then _cried_!"

Roxas looked close to tears again. "I was scared," he said quietly, glaring at the older boy.

"Well I'm sorry, ok? I just wanted to talk to you. God, what do you want me to do, make it up to you somehow?"

Roxas's eyes lit up. "Yes. That's a good idea."

"What?" Axel looked dumbfounded, then suspicious. "What do you want me to do?"

"Do you have a car?"

Axel snorted. "You cannot have my car, kid. You're not that cute."

"Don't call me kid. I just need a ride after school someplace, and I was going to have to walk but…"

"Are you serious?"

Roxas looked up at Axel hopefully.

_His eyes are so damn blue… _Axel was suddenly aware of how small the broom closet was and how close they were. He studied Roxas's face – his nose was red and his eyes were puffy from crying, and his cheeks were still wet from the tears. His lip was bleeding a little, Axel assumed because he had been biting it earlier in the locker room out of nervousness. But he was just too damn cute.

"Your lip is bleeding," he noted.

"I know."

Axel narrowed his eyes, then sighed. "Fine, I'll meet you outside the front of the school at 3:15. If you're late, I'm leaving."

He didn't stick around to hear Roxas's response, instead opening the door and striding purposefully back to the locker room to get dressed.

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Meanwhile…

Sora loved having 3rd period free. Partially because midmorning was the best time to relax outside when it wasn't cold or rainy, and partially because his best friend Riku also had 3rd period free, and Riku was the coolest person in the world.

Riku loved having 3rd period free as well, mostly because Sora was there. Having the innocent brunet around during free period was great for two reasons: he gave Riku an excuse not to do homework, and he gave Riku something adorably sexy to watch for an hour.

Currently, Riku was hauling his backpack out to the tree he and Sora usually hung out under when the weather was nice. He spotted Sora already waiting there, laying in the sun beside the tree with his hands laced into a pillow behind his head and his eyes lightly shut. The sunlight filtered through his chestnut hair, showing the subtle highlights Sora had developed from hanging around outside all the time.

As Riku approached Sora, his eyes flickered open and his mouth spread into a wide grin.

"Hey Ri!" he called, sitting up and brushing the grass off of his back.

Riku nodded a hello and dropped his disgustingly heavy backpack at the base of their tree before laying down in the grass beside Sora. Riku grimaced upon setting his head down.

"Sora, the ground is so hard it hurts your head! How are you just laying there all comfortable?" he asked, incredulous that his friend hadn't developed a migraine just from the ground.

Sora patted the ground gently. "It's got a little give to it, it's just your dumb thick skull."

Riku shoved him jokingly and laughed. "Shut up, So, and lay back."

Sora did as he was told, and Riku turned to use his friend's stomach as a pillow. Once he got settled, he breathed a sigh of relief. "Ahh, now that's what I'm talking about. Nice soft, pillowy abs. Or lack thereof."

Sora snorted and smacked his friend's shoulder. "They're not pillowy, they're just not all six-pack-y like yours."

"I do not have a six pack."

"Yea you do, you totally do!"

"I wish I had a six pack," said Riku, poking idly at his stomach. "I've just got four. I'm getting there."

"Four pack my ass, there were six last time I checked," said Sora.

"Oh, you've checked, have you?"

"Well, what else am I supposed to do when I'm done changing and you're standing around trying to pick out a shirt to wear?" Sora said, laughing for a moment before stopping suddenly and realizing what he had said.

Riku gave a half-hearted laugh and studied his friend's face intently. Was Sora finally realizing his inner adorable gay boy? Was this the right time to finally make a move? Riku sat up a bit, leaning closer to Sora's face in the hopes that maybe this was a good sign.

Sora giggled and scooted away, grinning. "Just kidding, Ri! What, didja think I had a little crush on you or something? Ha ha! Ha!"

Foiled again, Riku pretended Sora wasn't laughing quite so maniacally and rolled his eyes. "Loser."

Sora desperately tried to figure out why he had just said that. _Take deep breaths, Sora! Breathe innnnnn, breathe outttt…_ _Ha! Ha! Good thing I covered it up, otherwise-otherwise he would-would… _Sora couldn't bear the thought of what would happen if Riku found out he had a crush on him. He'd probably ditch Sora, no longer wanting to hang out with him if he knew the skinny brunet wanted more. It's not like Riku couldn't get a guy if he wanted to, and Sora was just positive that Riku would never be interested in little old him that way. His only hope, he had decided, was to remain close friends with Riku, covertly gape in awe at his finely toned muscles and pretty shiny hair, and… figure out another way to relieve his intense sexual frustration.

Riku internally cursed while he watched Sora's face go from Nervous Laugh to Stay Calm to Pretend Everything's Cool to Ooh, That's A Pretty Ladybug to Normal. _What a tease…_

Sora poked at the ladybug he had found with a stick and watched it intently. "Look Ri," he whispered. "Look what I found!"

Riku sighed and climbed over Sora's legs to look at the ladybug. "Nice, it's like the size of my fingernail!"

Riku let his hopes fall. Today would be a Ladybug day, not a Steamy Makeout Session Under the Tree Day. _Oh well_, he thought. _Maybe next week… _


	2. Dig Me Now, Fuck Me Later

Disclaimer: I don't own KH!

AN: Thanks so much for the reviews! Ahh! Please keep reading, and reviewwwing!

Axel dropped his homework in the trash as he headed out the front doors of the school. It wasn't like he would do it if he kept it, so why carry the stuff around? Lighting up a cigarette, he checked his watch. It was 3:07, so the kid still had a few minutes. Axel leaned against the building and took a long drag, half of him hoping Roxas wouldn't show up on time but the other half kind of interested to see him again. Unhappy that he had to take a detour from his normal route home, Axel questioned his memory of how cute this kid was.

_He's making me give him a ride. No stupid kid could be cute enough for me to agree to this. God dammit, it's 3:11…_

"Hi, uh… red haired guy!"

Axel looked up to see the kid waving and approaching him with an apprehensive smile.

_Damn! So I remembered right, he is cute after all. Oh, you just wait, kid… Someday that sweet little smile will be screaming my name… _

Axel grinned wickedly. "It's Axel. Commit it to memory. You never know when you'll need it." He tossed his cigarette to the ground and grabbed his backpack. "Come on, my car's parked in the side lot."

Roxas made sure to stomp out the still-burning cigarette before following the taller boy around a path to the side parking lot. In an attempt to make conversation, he decided to ask about Axel's car.

"So… what kind of car do you have?"

Axel looked over his shoulder. "A good one. Man, you walk slow."

Roxas did a little half-jog sort of thing to catch up to Axel before continuing to talk. "A good car… So like a Porsche or something?"

Axel raised his eyebrows. "High standards for someone who can't even drive."

"Hey! I have my permit, so I can drive if there's an adult in the car…"

Axel shook his head and smiled as he pulled his keys from his pocket. Pointing to the car he had stopped at, he nodded. "This is my baby. Her name is Nadia, and she drives like the love child of a semi and a golf cart, but I love her."

Roxas stared blankly at the ugly faded tan station wagon in front of him.

"You said you had a good car."

"Well," said Axel, climbing into the driver's seat and opening the door on the passenger's side for Roxas. "Some people might call Nadia… what's the word…"

"Worthless? A piece of crap?"

"A junker, I was going to say, but I have heard those less… delicate phrases used," Axel said, jiggling the key until it finally fit into the ignition. "Uh, you might want to hold on…"

Before Roxas could ask why, he found out the hard way. Pushing the car into reverse, Axel revved the engine a few times before shooting backwards out of his parking space and turning sharply to the right.

"Nadia may need a new transmission soon…"

Roxas nodded weakly, holding onto his seat belt for dear life.

"So where are we headed?" Axel asked, pulling up at the stop sign to leave the parking lot.

"The Watson Café, over on 13th Street."

"Alright, that's not so bad," Axel said, nodding. "Put some music on if you want."

Roxas reached for the radio and switched it to his favorite station. Immediately his face lit up. "I love this song!"

Axel's face contorted. "What _is _this crap, 'NSync!"

"Gross, no!" Roxas said, defending his lovely music. "It's KAT-TUN. This is my favorite song of theirs, it's so upbeat! It's about… um… well I don't really know, because it's in Japanese, but it's really happy sounding!"

Axel grimaced again as the song modulated into a new, dramatically sunshine-y key and went on sounding happy. He pressed the CD Button, determined to listen to real music. "That is not music. This is music."

"What CD is in?"

"A mix."

As the first song began to play, a euphoric smile spread across Axel's face. He reached for the volume knob and flicked it to the right until the car shook with the bass. "This is MSI, do you know them? Mindless Self Indulgence."

Roxas looked vaguely terrified, and a little forlorn that his happy music was gone. He shook his head weakly.

Axel grinned wider. "You'll like this song. It's about sex. Gay sex. Hot, steamy, rough-"

"I get it," Roxas said quickly. He felt a wave of regret come over him for getting in the car with this guy.

Axel bobbed his head happily as he listened to the music, occasionally peppering the conversation with lyrics when he felt like singing along.

"So why are you going to this café, anyway? A date?"

"This girl Namine is supposed to meet me there."

"Ahh, so it _is _a date. _Dig me nowwww, fuck me laaaaater. _With a girl, no less."

Roxas mumbled something inaudible and stared out the window. They were almost there.

"_IIIII've. Been Deniiiied. All the beeeeeeeeeest. Ultra sexxxxxxxxxx…"_

"Here we are!" Roxas practically leaped out of the car. "Uh, thanks for the ride, Axel. I'll see you later, I guess."

Axel saluted from the driver's seat before driving off in a cloud of dust, the engine roaring every time he switched gears.

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Riku sighed and banged his head back against the wall. "Sora, this is impossible. I hate math. I hate school."

Sora grinned. "I love math! It's the one and only thing I can do better than you."

Riku made a face and Sora stuck out his tongue. "It's ok, you can be superior again once we get to the novel-sized packet of Physics…"

"You know Physics is basically just Math, right? I don't get why you suck so bad at it." Riku pulled his math notebook back into his lap and looked at the mess of numbers staring up at him.

"I don't get why you're so good at it," Sora grumbled, examining Riku's messy work. He pointed at a number towards the middle of the equation. "That's wrong, Ri, you know that. And where did you put the 783 from the original expression?"

"783?" Riku stared blankly across his page, desperately looking for a 783 he may have forgotten to carry over. "Ugh, let's go get something to eat downstairs. I can't even focus on this shit anymore."

Sora nodded. He was always up for food.

Downstairs in the kitchen, Sora perched himself on the counter and opened up the fridge.

"What do you want to eat, Riku? We don't really have much, I ate everything yesterday and Mom hasn't gone to the store yet… I see some leftover birthday cake from Roxas's 16th birthday, but it's got mold on it..."

Riku gave a disgusted look and pushed Sora's arm out of the way so he could see into the refrigerator. "Huh… God, you really did eat everything…"

In the freezer, Riku managed to locate some frozen hamburger patties behind the bag of green beans and 4-year-old Eggo Waffles. Shaking the bits of ice off the bag, he pulled out the last two patties. "We can have these, right? They don't have hepatitis or anything, do they?"

Sora nodded. "Yea, we can have those. I forgot we had them. Let me go get a pan for the stove."

When he returned, Riku was still standing over the patties looking at them helplessly.

"Don't you know how to make them?" Sora asked, spreading olive oil over the pan and turning the burner on. Riku simply looked embarrassed.

Sora smirked and grabbed the hamburgers. "Aha! Two things I'm better at than you! Let me just go get my apron!"

Sora returned wearing a red and white striped apron with the words "Kiss the Cook" needlepointed across the top. It appeared to be well used, as it was covered in old cooking stains.

"I guess you cook a lot, then," Riku said, gesturing towards the apron.

Sora nodded. "This is my trusty apron. It's saved lord knows how many of my shirts from oil flying off of the pan. Even if it looks a little silly."

"You look cute," Riku said, smiling. "Now cook, I'm hungry."

Sora blushed a little before taking his spot in front of the stove.

"You know," Riku added. "That says 'kiss the cook', ne? Maybe I will."

Sora turned beet red and internally squealed. "You better not," he said, playing along with the joke. "Or-or I'll eat both hamburgers and you can have the leftover asparagus."

Riku groaned. Asparagus had always been his downfall.

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"Fuck!"

Axel cursed both internally and out loud. He never came to this supposedly trendy part of town, and thus after dropping off Roxas he had managed to get pathetically lost. He had been stuck on one way streets going the wrong way and ended up going in circles for 45 minutes.

"Rosemary Street… Walker Road… What street am I even _on_, dammit!"

Eyeing the street signs at the next corner, Axel groaned.

"13th and Vista… Fuck, this is that stupid café again!"

Confirming his fears that after 45 minutes he had gotten nowhere, the café smugly stayed in the same location it had been when he dropped Roxas off, and… wait… wasn't someone supposed to be meeting him? So why was Roxas at that table alone? And why did he look so… Ohh.

Axel pulled Nadia over to the curb and reached across the passenger's seat to roll the window down.

_Damn, he looks pathetic… Guess he got stood up. Girls. They're all the same. _

Leaning across the seat, Axel stuck his head out the window.

"Roxas! Hey, ROXAS!"

The blonde boy looked around hopefully, then spotted where the voice was coming from. He waved half-heartedly at Axel, then realized Axel was waving him over to the car. He trudged over to the window.

"Hey, Axel."

"What, you got stood up or she already left?"

"She… She didn't show up." Roxas looked pitifully disappointed.

Axel considered his options. He could either find his own way home and watch movies alone with a cigarette and a beer, or he could pick up the kid and make him watch movies with him.

"Listen kid, forget her. I was gonna pick up a couple movies anyway, and I could use someone to watch them with me."

Roxas looked unsure. "Uhh, you know, that's ok, I can just walk home later and-"

A loud clap of thunder cut him off before he could finish his sentence, shortly followed by pouring rain.

"On second thought," he said quickly, "Movies don't sound so bad!"

Roxas scrambled through the door onto the ripped passenger's seat and slammed the door shut behind him, smiling weakly from under his dripping bangs.

"Good," said Axel, grinning as he started the car. "I hope you like vampire movies."

Roxas's stomach turned. When he was younger, Sora had convinced him that vampires were real and that one lived under his bed. Even though he knew that wasn't true, he had retained the fear of vampires.

"What about a nice romantic comedy?" he suggested. "Those are my favorite…"

Axel snorted. "Like hell! Plus, I already have a couple good ones in the car. So the question is, my place or yours?"

Roxas gulped. He didn't want to be alone with this guy watching vampire movies either way… Sora would probably be home at his house. He and Riku had said something about working on homework and a History project this afternoon.

"My place," he said definitively.

Axel nodded and pushed Nadia into gear.

"Where to?"

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Riku and Sora had migrated into Sora's dad's office to work on their History project after giving up on math and making food. Riku was munching on some chips when they heard the front door slam.

"Hello? Sora? I'm home!"

Sora stood up. "Be right back, I gotta say hi to Roxas."

When he walked into the front hall though, Roxas was not alone. A tall redhead, Axel, who had been in Sora's English class the previous year, stood dripping behind Roxas, marveling at the two-story atrium and general hugeness of their house.

"Oh!" said Sora. "Hi Axel! Roxas, I didn't know you two were friends!"

"Neither did I," Roxas muttered, looking apprehensively at the movie in Axel's hands, titled _Blood Lust & Bitches: Vampires Love To Rave!_

"We were gonna watch this," Axel said, holding up his movie. "Where's the TV at?"

Sora gestured into the family room. "Go ahead. Me and Riku are in dad's office working on our project, Rox, if you need anything."

Roxas led Axel into the family room and sat down on the couch while Axel put the movie in. Axel settled down next to him and lit another cigarette.

"D-Do you have to do that in the house?" Roxas asked, staring indignantly at the cigarette.

"Is there a problem?"

Roxas was about to tell him to put it out when the movie started. An angry looking vampire was making screeching noises and biting people to the heavy beat of trance music. Roxas yelped and leapt all but into Axel's lap, clinging to the older boy's arm and hiding his face against the couch cushion.

Axel looked mildly amused and took another drag on his cigarette before removing his arm from Roxas's grip so he could wrap it around the smaller boy's shoulders.

"It's not even scary," he said incredulously. "It's just really fuckin' awesome…"

Roxas whimpered from underneath Axel's arm and crawled into his lap, burying his face in Axel's still-damp sweatshirt.

_What a weird kid… One second he's afraid of me, the next he's clinging onto me… _

Roxas tentatively opened one eye, only to be frightened into shutting it again. The smell of Old Spice, cigarettes, and wet sweatshirt filled his nose in a strange but somehow comforting combination. Trying again to watch the movie, Roxas was unable to keep his eyes open on the vampires for more than 5 seconds before hiding again. He sighed. It was going to be a long evening.

:) Soooo, what'd you think? Let me know! You know what to do! (review!)


	3. Faint, But Definitely Something There

Disclaimer: KH does not belong to me!  
AN: Ahh! Thank you so much for the reviews, faves, alerts, or just hits! I am thrilled that people are actually reading my story (Eee!) Cookies for all!

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Roxas blinked sleepily and groaned. The sunlight coming through the window was much too bright… What time was it, anyway? He sniffed. Something smelled of cigarettes… Gross. Closing his eyes again, Roxas snuggled against his pillow and attempted to go back to sleep. On the edge of consciousness, he was suddenly aware that his pillow was softly rising up and down. Like a person. A breathing person. That smelled like cigarettes. Kind of like…

Roxas sat straight up.

_Ohmygod. Axel. In my bed. _

The redhead wrinkled his nose in his sleep and curled his arm around himself where Roxas had previously been laying. His sweatshirt discarded long ago, he wore only a flimsy white undershirt and his jeans from the day before.

Roxas sat still for a moment to catch his breath, memories of the previous night slowly seeping back to the front of his mind. They had watched the first vampire movie in the family room… By the end of that one, Roxas had been able to watch for more than a few seconds before needing to hide in Axel's arms and recuperate. Roxas's parents had come home with food and invited Axel to spend the night, glad to see Roxas making a new friend. They had brought their pizza upstairs to watch the other vampire movie on the TV Roxas had in his room, and judging by the fuzzy grayness that now filled the TV screen, had fallen asleep sometime in the middle of that one.

Axel groaned in his sleep and rolled over, pulling Roxas's pillow into a tight embrace.

_He's not so tough after all. In fact, when he's sleeping, and not making snide comments or hitting on me, he's actually kind of…Eeeep!_

Axel pounced, clearly not asleep after all, and dragged Roxas down onto the bed with him.

"Your house is fucking freezing, kid, and you're the only warm thing in this room. So no, you cannot sit up and look bewildered, you're going to look bewildered from right here before I get fucking frostbite!"

Roxas struggled half-heartedly before giving in and snuggling into the long arms that surrounded him. He reached over Axel's arm to grab a quilt from the chair beside his bed and tried to spread it over them to no avail.

"I got it," Axel murmured, pulling the quilt around them both and circling his arms tightly around Roxas underneath.

Roxas shifted a little. How could Axel be cold? It seemed uncomfortably hot to him. In fact, most of the heat seemed to be emanating from Axel himself. Everywhere Axel's body touched Roxas's, Roxas felt an inexplicable amount of body heat. When he realized he was starting to sweat, he felt the need to speak up.

"A-Axel, do you mind letting go a bit? You're… I think you're burning my back…"

"Oh… Right." Axel loosened his hold on Roxas and sighed, scooting away. "Sorry," he mumbled.

"If you don't mind my asking, why, er… how was that… happening?" Roxas asked, sitting up a little and wiping the sweat from his brow.

"I just, I have this thing with fire, you know?" Axel wrapped the quilt around himself, still feeling cold despite his abnormally high temperature. "Especially my hands, but my whole body is just… warm. Very warm."

"Is that why you always wear gloves?" Roxas asked, pulling the quilt away from Axel's hands to look at his gloves.

Axel nodded, holding his hands out for Roxas's inspection. "You can touch them, they don't bite."

Roxas gingerly took one of Axel's hands, feeling the intense heat muted slightly by the palm of his glove.

"But your fingers, the glove stops halfway up. But they didn't burn me."

Axel nodded. "My fingers are a little toned down, compared to my palms anyway. It's the palms that require the gloves."

They sat quietly for a moment, Roxas turning Axel's hands over in his own, before Axel's face suddenly split into a mischievous grin .

"Why, do they make you hot?"

"Huh?" Roxas looked up. Understanding dawned on his face, and he dropped Axel's hands as a flush rose in cheeks.

Axel cackled and rolled out of bed, rubbing his hair until it sprung into its regular shape. "Let's get some food, kid. I'm fucking starved."

Roxas made a face and imitated Axel's sarcastic style of speaking.

Axel whirled around at the door, grasping Roxas's shoulders hard and glaring at him. "You do _not_ make fun of me. I could kick your ass in a second if I wanted to. So you don't fuck around with me. Got it memorized?"

Emerald eyes bored into Roxas's, and he tried to stop his knees from shaking in fear. Axel turned on his heel and stalked down the stairs, Roxas following a few steps behind.

"Axel- Axel, wait, I was just joking around!"

Axel stopped at the bottom of the stairs and turned around, flashing the blond a wicked smile. "So was I!" he said, cackling again as he waltzed into the kitchen. "I wouldn't kick your ass, Rox, it's far too pretty. I have much better techniques to make it sore!"

_Rox? When did that happen?_ _Wait… what is he talking about? My ass… sore… Oh…_

Once again, Roxas's face turned roughly the same color as Axel's hair. "We have cereal if you want. I'm gonna have some Reese's Puffs."

Axel made a face. "How can you eat that crap? It's pure sugar. I could go for some Rice Krispies…"

Roxas snorted, but handed him the box anyway. "Like those are much better."

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By the time Sora woke up and got downstairs, Roxas was saying goodbye to Axel at the door.

"We should hang out again sometime. I… I had a lot of fun," Roxas said, handing Axel his vampire movies. "Minus the vampires."

Axel smirked mischievously and took the movies before deftly kissing Roxas's cheek and giving his ear an affectionate nip.

"See you later, kid!" he called, halfway to the car before Roxas had even registered what had happened.

Sora watched happily from the kitchen. It was good for Roxas to finally have a good friend. Well, it wasn't as if Roxas had no friends, it was just… none of them were that close. On his way downstairs for a midnight snack the previous night, Sora had peeked into Roxas's room to see the two boys curled up together in the dim light of _Bite Me: When Teenage Rebels Turn… Vampire!_, sleeping like logs.

"Morning, sunshine," he said cheerily, throwing a stray Reese's Puff at Roxas as he stumbled into the kitchen, rubbing his ear. "How'd you sleep? Other than, you know, with a good-looking redhead."

"Shut up, So, it wasn't like that," Roxas mumbled, a smile creeping across his face despite his desperate attempts to be grumpy.

"You like him, don't you! Oooh, Roxie has a cruuu-uuush, Roxie has a cruuu-uuushhh," Sora launched into a sing-song cheer. "Roxie and Axel, sittin' in a treeee! F-u-c-k-i-n-g! Speaking of which, I should interrogate him older-brother style about his intentions with you. Ohh no, I should make Leon do it when he comes home for winter break!"

Roxas glared daggers at him. "You wouldn't. And there's no reason to, we're just friends. I've known him for a day. A DAY. We might not even be friends anymore by the time winter break rolls around in two months. Especially if he keeps hitting on me. It's embarrassing!"

"Oh, don't even try to pretend you don't enjoy it," Sora retorted through a mouthful of cereal.

"Kind of like how you shouldn't even try to pretend you don't want Riku that way?" Roxas said matter-of-factly. "Because you know, staring at him when he's not looking is really obvious to anyone else in the room. Maybe you should just tell him, let him fuck you into the wall, and get it over with already."

"Maybe you should hurry up and have your first kiss already," Sora spat back, narrowing his eyes. "You know, 16 is getting past the acceptable non-loser-ish age for a first kiss."

"Shut up! Just because I'm not a _slut_ who has his first kiss with some random guy at a _concert_ like you doesn't mean I'm a loser! I just-I just want it to be special, ok! Is that a crime?" Roxas's voice shook as he yelled at Sora.

After a long pause, Sora spoke. "I'm not a slut," he said quietly. "And you're not a loser."

"You're not really that obvious about Riku," Roxas mumbled, feeling guilty for berating his brother.

Sora sighed and slid off his stool. After putting his bowl and spoon away in the dishwasher, he paused before turning to leave. "Rox, last night I saw the way you held onto Axel when you were scared. Like he makes you feel safe… Don't be afraid of that, ok? Don't let that go."

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_"Do you want to touch me, Riku?" _

_Tight leather pants clung to Sora's legs as he crawled closer to Riku. "Do you?" Do you? Do you? Sora's words seemed to echo, the air seemed thick. Riku's breath hitched in his throat. Suddenly the pants were gone. Sora was underneath him, writhing, moaning, screaming his name… beeping?_

_BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. _

BEEP.

Riku tried to hold onto the dream as it faded, but all too soon he was awake. Not to mention cold and, well, sticky. Smacking the "off" button on his alarm clock, he groaned. This was happening more and more often, and while it was pleasant at the time, it was unpleasant waking up sticky, and awkward to see Sora later in the day. Angry at himself for forgetting to turn his alarm clock off on a Saturday, he rolled out of bed.

Stripping off the boxers he had slept in, Riku sorted through a laundry basket for something clean to wear. He managed to locate a new pair of boxers and had his pants half-on when the phone rang. Tripping over his pants, he managed to grab the receiver before crashing to the floor.

"Hello?"

"Hey Riku, it's Sora! I didn't wake you up, did I?"

"No, no, I was up already," Riku said, struggling to pull his pants on with one hand. "What's up?"

"Oh, I was just wondering if you were free later today, you should come over and we could finish that stupid history project. You know, get it out of the way so we don't have to do it tomorrow night."

Riku nodded, then realized Sora couldn't hear him nodding through the phone. "Yea, yea that sounds great. I'll be over soon, ok? I just need to find a clean shirt."

"Ok! See you later!" Sora's cheerful voice carried loudly through the phone.

Riku hung up the phone and lay back on the floor, having finally succeeded in zipping up his pants. Suddenly remembering something Sora had said, he stood up and studied himself in the mirror, flexing his abs.

_There are definitely only four… Oh wait! Hey, heyyy! Five… six! They're just… faint. But definitely something there. _

A new spring in his step, Riku traipsed off to find a shirt.

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Axel closed the door to the apartment and grimaced at the smell that hit his nose. Empty beer cans littered the living room, and amongst them he located the source of the smell – a half eaten can of mandarin oranges he had left on the floor two days ago. Disgusted, he threw it in the trash and sat down on the couch. Hmm… what to do… He lit up a cigarette and took a long drag. On any other Saturday, he would wake up, eat, maybe buy some weed, and listen to his music for a while. Today though, his usual routine had lost its appeal. After spending the better part of the morning with Roxas, the apartment seemed empty and disgusting, and the thought of getting wasted alone suddenly struck Axel as boring, and kind of pathetic. Then again, calling Roxas 30 minutes after leaving his house would be even more pathetic… right? Axel took another drag, blowing smoke rings across the room at the dirty windows.

"Fuck it," he muttered, picking up the phone. It's not like there was anything else to do.

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AN: Soooo? Like it? Hate it? Love it? LET ME KNOW! You know what to do. :) (Cooooookies for you if you review!)


	4. So Tired Of This

Disclaimer: KH Does not belong to me!  
AN: Eeee! Reviews! Thank you so much to anyone and everyone who has read, reviewed, faved, alerted, etc. I appreciate it so much:D

"Alright, listen up! Hey. HEY!" Cloud waved his arms around wildly, trying desperately to get the attention of his gym class. "Tomorrow our next health unit begins, so we'll be meeting in the Health Room. Everyone hear that? THE HEALTH ROOM. This quarter's health unit is everybody's favorite, Sex Ed."

A collective groan echoed across the Gym fields. A few kids even fell to the ground, writhing in preemptive agony. An evil grin spread across Axel's face. Roxas sighed.

"I see that face," he said, poking Axel's exposed skin where his gym shirt didn't reach far enough. "Why are you excited? It's not like there's anything left to teach you about, you know…"

"Ahh, but the possibilities are endless for what _I _have to teach ol' Strifey about," Axel replied, his grin widening.

Roxas put his head in his hands and groaned. "Do I even want to know? No, no, don't answer that!"

It had been a few weeks since the night Roxas had seen his first vampire movie with Axel, during which time the two boys had gotten infinitely closer. It wasn't just Axel trying to hit on him though; Roxas found himself inexplicably drawn to the redhead, constantly trying to impress him or make him laugh. Every time he had sat down to watch a movie for the past few weeks, Axel had been there, his warm, comfy pillow that always smelled like cigarettes and Old Spice, and Roxas wasn't afraid to admit he liked the company. The only issue Roxas had with the situation was Axel's unstoppable sex drive. At least once a day, he would come onto Roxas, and Roxas would enjoy the contact until Axel tried to kiss him, at which point he would scoot away and change the subject. He could tell it was frustrating for Axel, and it was frustrating for him, too, but he was afraid of letting Axel move too fast. He didn't want to do anything he would regret, and he wanted his first kiss to be something really special and romantic, preferably not accompanied by a vampire movie.

Snapping out of his thoughts, Roxas realized that the majority of the class was heading for the locker rooms.

"Let's go," said Axel, gesturing in the same direction.

"Wait a second! Roxas, I have a question for you."

Roxas turned around to see his gym teacher waiting nervously behind him. "Uhh, ok. Shoot."

"Well," said Cloud, wringing his hands. "I wonder… well, with winter break coming up in a few weeks, I assume your older brother Leon will be coming home from college, yes?"

Roxas nodded slowly, not sure where this was going. "Yea, he's coming home next week. They get a month off for winter holidays at Balamb."

"Ahh, yes, he did go to Balamb, didn't he?" Cloud muttered to himself. "I wonder if you might be able to tell me, ahh, his favorite color. In terms of sweaters."

"Sweaters?" Roxas repeated, dumbfounded. "Leon doesn't wear sweaters. He has one jacket that he wears all the time, but never sweaters."

Cloud looked crushed for a moment before regaining his composure. "Oh. Well, what would he want, then? For a gift? We graduated in the same class, that's… how I know him. You must think I'm crazy or something."

Roxas nodded weakly. "Uhh, he wears a lot of belts. You could get him a belt."

Cloud looked vaguely pleased. "A belt! What a great idea. I was planning on making his present, though. I could always make him a belt…"

Axel coughed impatiently from behind Roxas.

Roxas gave him a look before turning back to Cloud. "Can I go now, Mr. Strife? I don't want to be late for History."

Cloud waved him on, lost in thought at the idea of a homemade belt.

Glad to be free of such an awkward conversation, Roxas jogged alongside Axel to the locker room. By the time they got there, the bell had rung and the room had cleared.

"Why does Mr. Strife wants to make my brother a belt?" Roxas wondered aloud, opening his gym locker.

"Maybe they had a little thing, you know, in high school," Axel said, angrily hitting his dysfunctional lock until it opened.

Roxas raised his eyebrows. "Leon never seemed to have a love life going on while he was home."

Axel shrugged. "Is he hot?"

"He's not _bad_-looking," Roxas answered, pulling his sweaty gym shirt over his head and dropping it into his locker. As soon as he had, he realized this may have been a mistake. Axel had fixed his eyes on his bare chest and a small smile was creeping across his face.

"Maybe it runs in your family," he said, his voice at least 2 octaves lower than usual.

"No, Axel, I know that face, don't-"

Unfortunately for Roxas, it was too late. Axel was suddenly much closer than he had been before, his hands ghosting over Roxas's back and sending shivers up and down his spine. From his previous attempts, Axel had learned that in order to get anywhere with Roxas, he had to go excruciatingly slowly until he had worked him up a bit. Unfortunately, going slow was something nearly impossible for Axel, and all of his attempts had been shot down by Roxas before he could even kiss him. On the lips, that is.

Axel slowly ran his gloved hands across Roxas's exposed flesh, feeling the blond tense up as his back pushed against the cold lockers.

"Axel, stop, I-I have to get to-to…" Roxas trailed off as one of Axel's hands ran through his hair, distracting him momentarily from the redhead's lips, which were leaving soft kisses across his neck and collarbone. "I have to…"

A small gasp escaped his lips as Axel took one his nipples into his mouth, biting gently for a moment before he looked up, trailing his kisses back up to Roxas's jaw. Slipping one finger under Roxas's chin, he tilted the smaller boy's face upwards toward his own.

"HISTORY!" Roxas exclaimed, pushing Axel away. "I-I have to get to History."

He hastily dressed and grabbed his backpack, avoiding Axel's eyes as he headed for the exit.

"I-I'll see you later, Axel."

The door slammed shut behind Roxas, and Axel stood silently for a moment before slamming his fist against Roxas's closed locker out of frustration and letting out an angry roar.

"God DAMMIT. _I AM SO TIRED OF THIS SHIT!_"

He kicked the locker once for good measure before giving up, getting dressed, and slamming the door behind him on the way out, wondering if it was possible to die from lack of sex.

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Riku watched idly as Sora attempted to get their test tube to the right temperature. They were distilling wood in Chemistry, but Riku was mostly focused on how cute Sora looked in his lab gear.

_All dressed up like a scientist_.

His too-big gloves flopping around, Sora tried again to move the Bunsen burner to the correct location beneath the test tube.

"Still not hot enough," he grumbled, adjusting his gloves. He turned to look up at Riku. "Do you want to-

_-touch me? Do you want to touch me, Riku?" _

Images from Riku's dreams flashed in his mind. He licked his lips, then blinked a few times, realizing Sora had actually asked him a question. "Sorry, what?"

"I said, do you want to _help_ a little, maybe? Instead of letting me do this lab by myself?"

"Yea, sorry, I was spacing out," he said, moving the Bunsen burner a little to the left, closer to the thermometer. He squinted at the reading. "Looks right to me."

Sora sighed. "How is this possible? I spend 20 minutes trying to get the burner in the right spot, and you move it once, like, a half an inch, and it's perfect. Some people get all the luck."

Riku laughed and checked the lab instructions. "So, we let it sit until it starts to give off CO2, which is what it appears to be doing _now_, and then, we take out Tube A and cork Tube C. Here, I'll take out Tube A, and you get the cork ready, ok?"

Sora nodded, grabbing a stopper from the side of the table.

"When I say 'go', then. Ready, set…"

Sora lunged too early with the stopper, effectively knocking Riku and the entire apparatus to the floor, breaking the test tubes and falling atop his friend.

"Ow! Sora, I said when I say 'go', not when I say 'set'!"

"Sorry! I'm so sorry," Sora said, looking mortified as he helped Riku up. A small fire was burning on the spilled alcohol from the broken Bunsen burner.

Everyone in the class turned to watch as the teacher put it out with the fire extinguisher and surveyed the broken glass with a sigh.

"Sora, I hate to say this, but you're going to have to replace the equipment."

Sora nodded, looking close to tears. "I-I spilled some of the methanol on me, can I go wash it off?"

"Of course," he replied. "I'll clean up the glass, I can't have students picking up broken glass, can I?"

Sora shook his head weakly and headed for the bathroom, Riku racing after him.

"So, wait up!" he called, jogging until he could reach his friend's arm. "Sora, it's not a big deal, it happens all the- are you crying?"

_God, he and his brother both have a knack for crying in school hallways._

Sora sniffed and looked up, eyes shining with tears. "I always screw things up," he said quietly. "I'm no good at anything."

"That's not true, you're great at cooking. And math. And I'm no good at those," Riku said, pulling Sora into a hug.

He felt the brunet go limp in his arms, leaning his weight into Riku's embrace. "Thanks, Riku… It's just, those don't really count. It's not just that I'm bad at Science and good at Math, it's like I just suck at life. I'm clumsy, and I always say the wrong thing."

"Not true again," Riku said, pulling back to look Sora in the eye. "You underestimate yourself, Sora. Everyone screws up sometimes, you just only seem to notice it when it's you."

"Because it happens to me more…"

"No!" Riku said sharply. Sora looked up, surprised to hear such a harsh tone. Riku sighed, then leaned forward and lightly kissed Sora's forehead. "Youdon't suck at life, So. You're-you're perfect just the way you are."

Sora blushed a little, trying to figure out what had just happened.

_Riku… Riku likes me? I mean, as more than a friend? He did just kiss me. And he told me I'm perfect. But…I can't, I just can't. What if he just means it as a friend? After all, wouldn't he have given me a real kiss if he wanted to be my boyfriend? Friends do sometimes kiss. I bet that's all it was. I don't want to be the one making the first move, either way. I…_

Terrified of rejection, Sora pulled away from Riku.

"Sora…" Riku's voice softened as he reached for his friend again. "There's something I have to talk to you about."

_Shit. He knows, doesn't he! _

Sora laughed nervously. "Listen, Riku, it'll have to wait. I've really got methanol all over my hands, and it's starting to feel really strange. I don't want to get a-a rash or anything so, uh, I better go wash it off. I'll see you back in class, ok?"

_Is he serious! _

Riku stared at Sora, not sure whether or not his friend was joking. "Sora, you can't keep pretending there's nothing going on. I know you know what I'm talking about."

"I'll be back soon!" Sora squeaked, making a dash for the bathroom and leaving Riku in his proverbial dust.

Riku blinked. "Seriously?" he said aloud, scuffing his feet on the floor. After a moment of waiting, he started heading back for class. "I am so tired of this shit."

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Soo? Love it? Hate it? Think it's alright? Let me know! (Cookies for you if you review!)

Next chapter coming soon, vague lemon/lime ish content! But not neccesarily who you expect. Mwa ha ha:D Thanks so much for reading!


	5. That Bastard Stole My Shirt

Disclaimer: Kingdom Hearts does not belong to me!

AN: Eep! You guys seriously have no idea how excited I get every time I see I have a new review. THANK YOU SO MUCH! Also, over 1,000 hits on my story really made my day yesterday. :D

IN REGARDS TO THIS CHAPTER: ...eeeee! Remember to read the AN at the end of the chapter!

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Axel stared, bored, at his desk, idly scorching a design into the dark, wooden surface. Sex Ed was much more boring than he had expected, partially because they had a seating chart that put him in the middle of a bunch of girls, and Roxas two rows ahead and one seat to the right. At least he could watch the back of Roxas's head. But at the moment, he was starting to get a little angry at the kid. After all, the first time they had spoken, Axel had asked him right off the bat if he wanted to fuck. The kid had said no, true, but all the snuggling with the movies seemed to suggest he wanted it, and every time Axel started in on him, he always seemed to enjoy it immensely. Right up until he ran out of the room, or drastically changed the subject, or made an excuse to get some food or something. It blew Axel's mind, really, how conflicted the signals could be.

_Granted_, he thought, _The snuggling with the movies is nice in its own way. I'm not discounting the snuggling. I like the snuggling. In fact, forget I mentioned the snuggling, it's great the way it is. But the point is, is just… I have never spent this long chasing a piece of ass. It's coming up on four weeks now! FOUR WEEKS with NO SEX. That's like, a month. A month of masturbation. Masturbation Month. The new name for November. Hey, that could catch on…_

"Axel!"

Axel's head jerked up to see Mr. Strife standing beside his desk. The entire class had turned to face him, and half of them were laughing.

"Can I help you?" he asked, unaware of whatever conversation the class had been having.

"Oh, Axel," Cloud sighed. "Always the class clown. Might I ask, what could you possibly have been thinking about that was more important than _my lesson_?"

Axel thought for a moment, then stared pointedly at Roxas. Gesturing toward the blond, he answered. "Trying to figure out how to finally get in blondie's pants."

The class laughed, and in an instant their stares had all transferred to Roxas, who had turned bright red and was looking definitively at his shoes.

Cloud, however, was not amused. "Out. Now."

Axel sighed and stood up, sauntering out of the room. The kid was pissing him off, he was desperately horny all the time from a lack of sex, (not that he wasn't horny all the time when he was having sex on a regular basis), and he didn't feel like putting up a fight.

Axel lit a cigarette as he wandered through the halls, and having nowhere else to go, headed for the Nurse's Office. Nurse Gainsborough, who usually had students simply call her Aeris, was always pretty nice, and she'd probably just let him go to sleep in the back room if he wanted to. As he entered the office, he looked for a good spot to put out his cigarette, figuring the school nurse would not appreciate the perks of a good nicotine fix. Before long, an ashtray appeared in front of him… held by Nurse Aeris.

"Hi Axel," she said, taking the liberty of grabbing his cigarette and putting it out for him. "Haven't seen you in a while, since you got that nasty cold last spring."

Axel nodded. "Yea. Listen, I'm just feeling pretty exhausted, do you think I could go lay down in the back room?"

Aeris gave him a knowing look. "Got kicked out of class again, huh?" she asked, setting the ashtray down behind her desk and leading the way down the short hallway to the back room.

"Ehh, yea."

"There's one other student having a rest right now, and I think he's probably asleep by now, so try to be quiet, alright? Another general "not feeling so good" case, but he looked pretty tired out, so just try not to wake him up."

Axel nodded as Aeris opened the door to the back room. The back room was a nice place to go if you were actually just tired. It was a pretty large room, actually, with 8 beds in it. The lights were always off, but a fairly bright night-light was plugged into the wall in case any students were afraid of the dark. It was situated at the end of the short hall to keep out any noise from the hallways during passing periods. Axel slipped in the door and let Aeris close it behind him before selecting the bed in the corner of the room. A lump lay beneath the blankets in the bed adjacent to Axel's, and it stirred slightly as Axel sat down on his bed.

After a few seconds, the lump sat up, revealing itself to be an extremely attractive (in Axel's opinion), silver-haired boy with light blue eyes and, surprisingly, no shirt. He nodded a greeting to Axel. "You sick?"

Axel shook his head. "Kicked out of class. Bored. You?"

The boy shrugged. "I was tired, and class was kind of lame."

Axel nodded, trying to figure out why the boy looked so familiar. "So, do you always come to school topless or are you just trying out a new style?"

The boy laughed. "No, I slipped on the floors earlier when they had mopped and managed to knock over the mop bucket and get disgusting water all over my shirt. Aeris took it down to the theater, since they have a washer and dryer in the costume room."

Axel nodded again. The boy got up from his own bed and took a seat next to Axel.

_Damn, this kid has nice abs…_

"It's Axel, right?" he asked, smirking.

"How'd you know my name?"

"Well, I've only known you since, what, Kindergarten? Dumbass," the boy replied, shoving Axel's shoulder. "Plus, I see you around Sora's house all the time."

Slowly but surely, understanding dawned on Axel. "Riku…? Is it Riku? I- you were always in my classes in Elementary School, we just never actually, you know, spoke to each other."

Riku smiled. "You've aged well," he said, pushing a piece of Axel's unruly hair back.

Axel swallowed. Was Riku hitting on him? Well, hopefully, he thought, as he was getting vaguely turned on. The dim light from the night-light in the corner made Riku look rather seductive, and Axel did think it'd be nice to ravish him in the nurse's office. How awkward though… his mind turned to Roxas. But dammit, the kid was never going to give in, and Riku was touching his face now. By this time, it was out of Axel's control. It _had_ been a month since he'd got any, and it was driving him crazy how slowly Riku's fingers were moving, tracing the line of his jaw until he finally stopped, pressing a finger to Axel's lips.

"You'll have to be quiet," he whispered. "Make a noise, and the nurse will come to make sure we're all right. And we couldn't have that, could we? No, that wouldn't do at all…"

"Aren't you with Sora?"

Riku's eyes darkened. "Sora's made it pretty clear he's not interested. I've been drastically obvious about my feelings toward him, and he always just… runs away, or makes excuses. Over time, it gets to be… exhausting. He can be quite a tease."

"I know exactly what you mean, Roxas is the same-"

Clearly not interested in talking, Riku pushed Axel down onto the bed, pulling the redhead's shirt off as he did so. Crushing his lips into a bruising kiss, he plunged his tongue into Axel's mouth. Axel responded immediately, mirroring Riku's kiss strongly. In fact, in Riku' opinion, a bit too strongly. The platinum blond was having to fight to keep Axel in his place. Pulling back a bit, he moved to Axel's neck, kissing and sucking below his ear.

"There's something you should know," he whispered, getting a good grip on each of Axel's arms. The redhead's hands effectively pinned on either side of his head, he let out a yelp as Riku gave him a rather sharp love bite on the side of his neck. "I'm _always_ seme."

"Oh, hell no!" Axel snarled. This had not been in the plan. The plan, which he had formed roughly 45 seconds ago, was for him to be the ravisher, not the ravishee.

And thus, the game began. Axel trying desperately not to let slip that he was enjoying anything, while Riku licked and sucked and nipped and kissed him all over, trying to elicit a response. Axel finally reached his threshold, a tiny moan escaping his throat, as Riku unzipped his pants to slip a hand inside. The moment it happened, Axel hoped Riku hadn't heard, but judging by the widening smirk plastered across the platinum blonde's face, he had heard all too well.

"I win," he said cheerfully, watching Axel shudder as he stroked his length again.

"I can't believe this is happening to me," Axel muttered, shooting Riku a death glare.

"You know," Riku said brightly, yammering away as he pulled Axel's remaining clothing off, "It's all about your attitude."

"Please shut up."

Undoing his own belt, Riku continued. "You can either lay there being sour about this, or you can resign yourself to the fact that I _am_ going to fuck you, you _do_ want it, I know you do, I can guarantee I'll make you come, and if you would just lighten up a bit, we could have ourselves a half-decent fuck."

Catching Axel's death glare, he sighed. "Listen, if it's that big of a deal for you, then fine. Put your pants back on and get out of here. If you really don't want to do it, I'm not going to force you. So if you don't want it, then go. Go on!"

"Don't pull that shit on me now. _You're _the one that came onto _me_, so finish what you started, why don't you? Talk about a tease…"

"I'm sorry, are you calling _me_ a tease!"

Axel glared furiously at the ceiling. "Dear God, please won't you give me a fucking hand down here on Earth? I'm lying _naked _in bed, with a hard-on the size of a small country, and this fucking _tease_ won't even-"

"Fine!" Riku climbed onto Axel, scooting the redhead's legs out of the way. "Listen, this might hurt if you've never-"

"Where was I? Oh right, this _fucking tease won't even_-"

Riku made a frustrated noise before giving up on warning him and pushing his way inside of Axel. A pained look contorted Axel's face for a moment before it returned to its natural furiously angry expression.

"I was trying to warn you," Riku said, almost apologetically. He leaned down to kiss Axel's neck, smirking slightly when he noticed his earlier love bite was beginning to bruise. "Tell me when you've… adjusted."

"I'm fine," Axel said, his voice strained in what sounded like considerable pain.

"Axel, stop trying to be badass, would you, and just-"

"Oh, shut up and fuck me already, why don't you?"

For once, Riku complied with Axel's request. Taking a hold of the redhead's erection, he slowly began to move inside of him in time with his hand.

Axel began to moan as the two found a good rhythm. It didn't take long for either of them to come. First, Axel, with a groan slightly choked by the pain, Riku following shortly thereafter.

Pulling out of Axel, Riku grimaced at the sticky mess the other boy had left on his stomach and chest. "You've made a mess," he said. "Come clean it up."

Axel snorted, finally satisfied by a well-needed, not self induced orgasm. "I'll play uke for one fuck, but I will not sink to the level of licking my own cum off your stomach. Just use the sheet or something."

Riku pulled the sheet off the bed and crumpled it up into a ball when he was done cleaning up. "There are new sheets in the bins under the bed," he said, pulling his pants on. "You can probably just stuff this one in the trash or something. She has to change the sheets after each kid anyway, you know, germs."

Axel hadn't moved from his spot on the bed, watching Riku dress. He stared at Riku's toned muscles, then his own flat, skinny abdomen. "What, do you do like, 500 sit ups every night or something? How do abs like that even _happen_?" he asked incredulously, self-consciously crossing his arms across his stomach.

Riku grinned. "Something like that. Plus, I, you know, eat. I don't know if you're familiar with the concept, from the look of you."

"Well, you wouldn't know what it's like to have a… limited budget, would you? Maybe if you did, you'd understand why some people eat more sparingly. It makes less food last longer."

Riku raised his eyebrows. "Maybe if you didn't spend all your money on cigarettes," he said, sticking his tongue out.

"The day your life revolves around cash coming in the mail once a month, then you tell me if you don't enjoy a little harmless stress relief."

"Harmless? Not only will you give yourself lung cancer, or emphysema or something, but you'd probably have less stress if you used the cash for food in the first place."

"Why are you still here?" Axel snapped. "Weren't you leaving?"

Riku grabbed his backpack and headed for the door, smiling.

"Hey."

Riku stopped, looking over his shoulder expectantly.

"Maybe you knew me in second grade, but don't think that means you know me now."

Riku looked thoughtful for a moment, then smiled again. "That doesn't mean I don't want to," he said from the doorway. "I'll see you later."

Axel put a new sheet on the bed and dressed. Unable to find his shirt, he checked everywhere in the room before he remembered: Riku had been shirtless when he had come in, and when he had left…

_Dammit._ _That bastard stole my shirt._

Today was not, as they say, Axel's day.

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Roxas scanned the quad for his brother. He knew Sora had two free periods, and he was fairly sure this was one of them. It was pretty chilly outside, but Sora was one of those "wear-shorts-year-round" types, seemingly impervious to the cold. Sure enough, Roxas found Sora sitting on a bench near another entrance to the school, knitting.

"Hey, So," he said, taking a seat beside him. "What'cha knitting?"

"Oh, this?" Sora said, holding up what appeared to be a dark red blob. "It's a hat for Riku. I accidentally ruined his blue one the other day in science, it got lighter fluid all over it and then it shrank when I tried to wash it, so I'm making him a new one to make up for it."

Roxas smiled. "It looks nice."

Sora knitted to the end of the row he was on, then looked up at his brother. "Alright, spill. What's wrong? You never talk to me at school unless something is drastically wrong."

"Sora, I think… I think I like Axel. I mean, not just for watching vampire movies with. Like, as a boyfriend, or whatever. That kind of thing."

Sora grinned. "That's great, Rox. I mean, I think he's established he likes you back."

"That's just it," Roxas said, slipping into despair. "He just- he's always… touching me. And I like it, but I'm nervous. And I'm afraid if I tell him I like him that way, he's gonna take it the wrong way and think I want to sleep with him, and I'm definitely not ready for that I just, I want to, you know, cuddle. And hold hands and stuff. And knit hats for him and make rice together."

"I knit hats for Riku, that doesn't mean we're together."

"But you like him. See what I mean?"

Sora made a noise of protest, but shut up when Roxas gave him a look.

"Alright, fine, I admit it, I… like Riku. As more than a friend. But you already knew that, Rox, since I'm apparently so obvious," Sora said, starting a new row.

"I think you should tell him, So. I really think so."

"Well, I think you should tell Axel how you're feeling. All of it. I'm sure he'd understand."

Roxas snorted. "Axel doesn't… I don't think he has a clear idea of other people's feelings. Today in health, he… It was just embarrassing. He got kicked out of class for telling Mr. Strife he was trying to get in my pants. Everyone laughed at me. And when he said it, he looked right at me, and he looked kind of mad."

Sora sighed. "Men," he said, shrugging exasperatedly. Roxas laughed a little, staring at his feet.

"Let's make a deal. A pact. A brotherly pact," he said suddenly.

Sora looked up from his knitting. "What kind of pact?"

"The deal is," Roxas said, standing up, "We both tell our respective… interests. We tell them how we feel. And we both have to do it. So if we both get rejected, we can commiserate together."

"What if only one of us gets rejected?" Sora asked, fidgeting with his knitting.

"Then it'll be me, for sure, and I'll get over it eventually."

Sora sighed. "Alright, fine. Deal."

The two brothers shook hands. Before going back inside, Roxas turned back. "Oh, and I'm inviting Axel to Hannukah dinner, alright? For the third night."

Sora nodded. The third night of Hannukah was always the night they invited friends and extra family.

"See you later, little bro."

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AN!!! Sooo, once again: Love it? Hate it? Think it's alright? Let me know with the handy reviewwwwww button (it loves to be clicked ALMOST as much as Axel loved to be fucked). And despair not, dear shippers, it is but a mere plot progression. The summary of this story says AkuRoku and RikuSora for a REASON so bear with me here, alright? Thanks again for reading and please tell me what you think!

Next chapter includes a cameo from everyone's favorite hippie sitar player!


	6. An AxelCentric Chapter

Disclaimer: Kingdom Hearts does not belong to me!  
AN: Once again, thank you to everyone who read, reviewed, faved, or added this story to their alert list! You have no idea how much I appreciate it! Yay! Enjoy Chapter 6!

NOTE: Be prepared for an Axel-centric chapter. Yay for backstory!

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Bright sunlight filtered through a crack in the blinds, bathing Axel's face in morning cheer. Unfortunately, he was not quite ready for morning yet. Axel groaned and rolled over, angrily throwing his pillow at the window, which succeeded only in bending the blinds so more light shined through.

_Too early… So tired…_

Rubbing the crusty residue out of the corners of his eyes, he attempted to read the clock through the haze of drowsiness.

_9:30? 9…30? _He groaned again and buried his face in his blankets. 9:30 was much too early to be awake on a Tuesday. However, before he could succeed in falling back asleep, Axel heard a loud pounding on the front door of his apartment.

_What the fuck!_

"Axel, open up! I know you're in there, your car is out front!"

"…Demyx?" he said slowly, recognizing the sing-song voice of one of his oldest friends. Still grumpy, he crawled out of bed and shuffled to the door in his boxers.

"Axel! _AXEL! _Wake up and open the door, dumbass-"

Demyx fell forward as the door opened, clearly not expecting to get a response so quickly. "Axel!" he said brightly, stepping inside. "Fancy meeting you here!"

Axel tried to remain mad, but his friend's goofy grin broke through his guard. "What do you want so early in the morning?" he asked, rubbing his hands in his hair until it spruced itself up again.

"Welllll," said Demyx, drawing out the 'L', "I was just on my way to school, and I realized, 'Hey, that's Axel's apartment! And you know who hasn't stopped by to visit me or pick up a bit of green lately? Axel! And you know who's an hour and a half late for school and _probably _still asleep? Axel!' So I thought I'd just drop by and say hi and maybe drag you to school."

Axel couldn't help but smile. Demyx had such an animated way of talking. "It's true, I haven't seen you in a while. I haven't really been smoking a lot of pot lately, though, so don't worry, it's not that I'm secretly buying from someone else." Gesturing for Demyx to follow, he shuffled back to his room to get dressed.

"Mmm, yes, I'm aware you haven't been smoking. I don't blame you, never liked the stuff much myself, but hey, it keeps me in money, no? Either way, though, you know I'd always give you a discount if Cheb's not sending you so much cash anymore."

Axel sighed as he searched for a belt. His pants were, once again, too loose to stay on his hips. _These used to be fairly tight pants_… "Cheb's… not sending me any money this month. She gave me a call yesterday, and she just hasn't got any to spare. She's waiting on a paycheck, something like that."

Demyx snorted. "Some aunt she is," he said, idly examining the items strewn across Axel's desk. "I suppose that's the reason for the sudden drop in weed consumption, then."

Axel shrugged. "She's not really my aunt, she's just a good friend of my mom's. And, I dunno, I have other reasons. Reason, I guess, there's just the one. Although on second thought, that reason is kind of a tease and I'm a little pissed at him right now."

"Is the reason blonde?" Demyx asked, examining a strip of pictures from a mall photobooth.

Axel snatched the photos out of Demyx's hand, and after looking at them for a moment, dropped them back on his desk, where Demyx promptly picked them up again.

"So this is him, huh?" he asked. "This last one's cute, you two both look really happy, although the blond kid is kind of mid-laugh."

Axel sighed and sat down on the edge of his bed, turning a clean-ish shirt the right way to put on.

Demyx dropped the pictures and pulled a small bag of pot out of his pocket. "Listen, this one's on me. It's just some leftover, and it's not like I'm going to smoke it. It's enough to make a good sized joint if you need one."

Axel nodded his assent. "Stick it in my drawer," he said, pulling the shirt over his head.

"You're looking awful skinny," Demyx noted, poking Axel in the ribs before heading into the kitchen. "If Cheb's not sending you money, how are you getting food?" Opening the fridge, he stuck his head back around the corner. "Beer and ketchup, Axel? Are you serious?"

Axel's stomach replied for him, growling loudly as he padded into the kitchen.

"When was the last time you ate, Axel?"

"I picked up a peppermint on the way out of the nurse's office yesterday…"

"Before that?"

"A sandwich after school the day before."

"That's it," said Demyx, grabbing Axel's arm and dragging him to the door. "I'm taking you out to breakfast. You need to eat."

Axel grudgingly followed, locking the apartment on the way out. "I'll pay you back later," he muttered, falling into step beside the sprightly blonde.

"No need, no need," Demyx said, cheerfully leading the way to a local restaurant down the street. "All I want is details."

"About what?"

"Everything! You! That _blond_ kid," he said, playfully shoving Axel off the sidewalk. "I haven't seen you in over a month, Ax, it's like you disappeared off the face of the Earth and suddenly here you are, plunked down in front of me, skinny as a rail, minus food, and plus an absolutely _scrumptious_ blond."

Axel grinned. "He is rather cute, isn't he?"

"_Details_, darling, that's all I ask."

Twenty minutes and 6 large pancakes later, Axel was feeling rather animated himself. It was good to see his old friend again; he hadn't realized how much he had missed the flamboyantly cheery boy.

"So either way, there's something about Roxas, I just- he's like cigarettes, I just feel calm when I'm around him, and it's nice, I get to be cool guy Axel, you know, who's not afraid of anything and is tall enough to reach the cookie jar and all that jazz."

Demyx beamed, studying the picture of Roxas that Axel had happened to have on hand. "He's got a nice smile."

"I have to admit," Axel went on, talking a mile a minute through a mouthful of pancake, "I feel kind of icky about this, see, the kid is just such an incurable tease, he won't even let me kiss him, and it was driving me up the wall, so yesterday, I, well… I fucked another guy. Not Roxas, that is. I dunno why I feel bad about it, it's not like I'm _with _Rox, it's just, I feel a little guilty. But hey, a fuck is a fuck is a _fuck_, you know? And I needed one! It had been a month!"

"Oooh, who'd ya do?" Demyx asked, raising his eyebrows.

"You won't believe me if I tell you," Axel said, stealing some hash browns from the other boy's plate.

"Ooh, is it juicy?" Demyx looked up, excited. "Tell me! Tellmetellmetellme!"

"Hmm, is it juicy, you ask?" Axel repeated, making a mock thoughtful face. "I must say, on a scale of 1 to 10 of juiciness, I would give it, maybe a… _15_."

Demyx squealed, prodding Axel's arm with his fork. "Tell meeeeeee!"

"Ok," Axel said, settling into his seat and pausing dramatically before continuing. "Remember that kid Riku? The one who always kicked everyone's ass at everything in like, 5th grade? And hung out exclusively with Sora? And everyone was scared of him because they thought he was secretly a werewolf or something, except Sora was just way too bubbly and nice to everyone to go along with that so of _course_ they were friends?"

"You _didn't_," Demyx said, clearly scandalized. "Riku? _That _Riku! _Hot Riku who only got hotter after 8th grade! Unattainably sexy Riku!"_

Axel grinned and nodded. "Well, I had forgotten about him, since I hadn't been in the same grade with you guys after skipping 7th grade, but then I saw him a few times last year when you guys caught up to me and we were all juniors, but I totally forgot about him _again_, and _yesterday_, he just _appeared_ in the Nurse's office, I shit you not, _TOPLESS_ and, well, a fuck is a fuck-"

"Is a fuck!" Demyx cried, excitedly finishing the sentence in unison with Axel. "Man, Ax, I dunno how you do it! Tons of boys would give their left _nut_ to dominate Riku, and you just _happened_ to run into him in the Nurse's office and have your way with him. I cannot even _believe_ you sometimes! Lucky bastard…"

"Err, well," Axel stuttered, poking at his remaining pancakes. "I didn't _dominate _him, per sé, in fact, it was more… the other way around…"

Demyx gaped open-mouthed at Axel. "Sorry, _what_? Did I hear you right? You, Axel, _my Axel_, played sub?"

"A fuck is a fuck!" Axel cried, throwing his hands up. "I had no choice! He won the game, fair and square, there was nothing I could do! And it wasn't like it was _that_ bad, although there was serious ass pain involved. Honestly, I dunno how you can stand up when guys are done with you, Dem, that shit hurts like a bitch. An angry bitch. With big, sharp teeth."

Demyx shrugged, grinning. "It's how I like it, what can I say? Not everyone's quite as strong-willed as you, Ax. Anyway, it doesn't hurt so bad once you've done it a lot, especially if you've got a nice guy who knows how to prep you right. Like, for instance, you."

"I am nice, aren't I?"

Demyx nodded. "Extremely. Excessively so, almost. I remember the first time you fucked me you were so worried about hurting me you practically lost your hard-on."

"It was my first time, ok? I didn't want to do anything wrong," Axel said, defending his gentle technique. "Plus, I try not to be so… mean. Riku just shoved right in. Granted, I told him to, but you know…"

The two continued to talk as they moved on from the restaurant, heading to school.

"I think it's cute that you feel guilty about it," Demyx said, grinning mischievously as they advanced on the entrance to school. "Because you know what that means."

"What? What does that mean?"

"It _means_, Ax, that you might just have a little some'n some'n going for li'l Blondie."

Axel was silent. "I've never had a real boyfriend before," he said slowly. "Just a lot of good fucks."

"Exactly," Demyx said, beaming. "So go for it! You know you want to, Ax, and _I'll_ even admit it- the kid is adorable."

"Axel!"

Both teens looked up as one of the school's many narcs headed their way, looking less than pleased.

Demyx laughed nervously. "Listen, Ax, I'd love to stick around, but these guys are constantly trying to search me." Giving Axel a quick peck on the cheek, he pressed a wad of cash into his friend's hand. "You need this more than I do, alright? I've got plenty- No, don't give it back. With exams coming up, business is booming for me, and like I said, you need it. Buy yourself some food, hun. And if you need anything, you always know where to find me."

Axel waved weakly as Demyx scampered off, then counted the money in his hand before pocketing it.

_50 bucks… Wow._

"Axel, the principal needs to see you in his office."

Axel sighed, his good mood gone. "Alright, alright, I'm going."

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"Ahh, Axel. You finally made it." Dr. Highwind, principal of their school, slowly turned around to face the boy.

"What can I do for you?"

"Well, here's the thing, Axel. Today, the ever-watchful Ms. Tifa Lockheart down in the Attendance Office noticed that you were absent, unexcused. So, doing her job, she called the contact number listed for you, and there was no answer. Unable to find another listing, she figured she ought to come to me and tell me the situation, since she couldn't verify that the student in question was, in fact, safe."

Axel stared silently at the desk.

"So, naturally, I searched for a work number for a parent, and to make a long story short, eventually came into the information that your mother is, in fact, in prison, and has been for a couple of years now. When I looked for your father, I was unable to find any information."

"I'd be surprised if you could," Axel said coldly, picking at his fingernails. "Not even my mom knows for sure who it is."

"All in all, Axel, your secret is a secret no more. I am fully aware now that you are living alone in an apartment rented under the name of a certain Selphie Tilmitt, who, when called, admitted to knowing that you, a minor, were living there alone."

"Cheb," Axel murmured.

"Hmm?"

"It's just a nickname," Axel said. "I haven't heard her called Selphie in years."

Dr. Highwind nodded. "Either way, Axel, this leads to a number of questions, or perhaps answers to questions no one had ever bothered to ask. First of all, very few high school students have after school jobs that pay enough to support them independently, and you don't appear to have one at all. I was going to ask where the money for food was coming from, especially since you seem to be quite close with Demyx, a student who I'm sure you know has been caught dealing drugs in the past. However, taking a look at you now," he said, eyeing Axel over his desk, "I think your weight, or lack thereof, has answered that question for me."

"Cheb sends me money in the mail for food every month. I'm fine. If you call child services, I'll run away."

Dr. Highwind sighed. "Axel, even if I did call child services, at the rate they get anything done, you'd be 18 by the time they even got to your name. What I'm concerned about, as principal of your school, is – well, there are a few things. First, your health and safety. On this subject, I have very few options other than to call child services, and having just addressed that, I think it wise to simply move on. I noticed, interestingly enough, that while your mother still has roughly three years left in prison, the date she was incarcerated was mere weeks before your first run of junior year. Before that school year, your grades, your attendance – they were perfect. For God's sake, Axel, you skipped the 7th grade! I don't think it's mere coincidence that your grades and attendance dropped dramatically after your mother went to jail, and I think you know that too. In the past 2 years, and as much of this school year as has happened yet, the marks on your record have just kept adding up."

Picking up a piece of paper from his desk, Dr. Highwind continued. "Look at this: Smoking in the hallways, caught intoxicated on school grounds, graffiti, damage to school property, asked to leave class, unexcused absence, more damage to school property, drunk in class…"

Putting the sheet of paper back on his desk, Dr. Highwind looked up at Axel. "Listen, kid. There's not much I can do for you here. The population is growing, the school is overcrowded, and I don't know how to say this any other way: we don't have room for kids who want to screw around this much. If you can't pull it together and pass the 11th grade this year, I'll have no choice but to expel you. I can't allow you to take your junior year four times. I just can't. You're lucky to even be here this year, to be honest. Since you skipped 7th grade, being held back twice puts you only one year behind. But that's where we have to draw the line. I feel for you. I really do, Axel, because when the schools were less crowded, maybe we could have done something for you. I can only imagine how rough it must be to live without either one of your parents at home with you, waiting for money to come in the mail every month, but unless you get your act together and pass this year, I can't make an exception for you. I'm sorry."

Axel stood up silently and turned to leave.

"Good luck, Axel."

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AN: Oooh, cue dramatic music. Yes, I know, this chapter had mild teenage angst. Le sigh. However, Demyx! What a hippie. Next chapter will have a more general focus on all the characters, not just Axel, so no worries - Sora, Riku, and Roxas all still exist. Sooooooo, let me know what you thought! I promise cookies (And Axel is tall enough to reach the jar for you). Thanks!

Next Chapter includes major fluff! Fluff to rival cotton candy. !


	7. Fluff To Rival Cotton Candy!

Disclaimer: Kingdom Hearts does not belong to me!  
AN: Thanks again for all the reviews! Also, breaking 2,000 hits! Yay!

BE PREPARED FOR FLUFF, KIDS!

Also, random side note: In previous chapters, if there seem to be exclamation points where there should be question marks... the document manager sometimes does this to my story! I am not sure why, and even when I change it on the site, it switches back when I save the changes... Huh... Anyways, enjoy Chapter 7!

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Riku stared at Sora across the table, slowly chewing his bite of sandwich. The brunet seemed a little off today, despite the fact that Riku had finally had his schedule changed so they could have lunch together. Sora fiddled with his knitting anxiously, occasionally sneaking a glance up at his friend.

"Riku," he said hoarsely, an expression of uncertainty creeping across his face.

"Are you okay?" Riku asked, setting his sandwich down. "You look like you're about to throw up."

Sora gulped and set his knitting down. "I…"

"Shit!" Assuming he had guessed correctly, Riku sprung into action, dragging a trash can over to Sora and pulling his friend over it. "Just-just aim for in here, ok? You'll be ok."

"IlikeyouRiku!"

"What? I can't understand you," Riku said, frustrated. He grabbed Sora's hair, pulling it out of the way of his mouth. "Just-just stop trying to hold it down. If you need to puke, then do it! Just-just let it go!"

"I'm not gonna throw up, Riku," Sora said, batting his friend's hands out of his hair. "Let go of my head! I said, I _like _you."

"Oh…" Riku pushed the trash can away and sat down beside Sora. "You mean like… as a friend, right?"

Sora looked away, embarrassed. "I knew I shouldn't have said anything…"

"Wait! No, tell me, I just-I don't understand exactly how you're- how you're meaning this, Sora!" Riku's heart seemed to have doubled, no, tripled its speed over the course of the past two seconds.

"I mean… I mean, I like you," Sora started, his speech speeding up as he went along. "I mean, I want to be able to hug you whenever I want and-and kiss you, and I-I…"

Sora scrunched up his face, attempting to work up his courage even more.

"Spit it out, So, what are you trying to say?"

Sora looked up angrily. "Riku, I _told _you, I'm not throwing up!"

"What? I-I know you're not, what are you- oh! Oh, it's-it's just a saying, Sora, like, you know, spit out the words."

"Well now I forgot where I was," he said, looking sullenly at his mashed potatoes.

"You were at kissing, and hugging whenever the mood strikes," Riku said impatiently.

"Oh…" Sora looked down again, his face reddening. "I… IwayoubemybofehRiku."

"Sora, I can't understand you, talk slower."

"Iwantyoutobemyboyfriend."

"Sora, please!"

"I _want_ you to be my _boyfriend_, Riku," Sora said loudly, over enunciating each word.

Riku blinked a few times, shocked. "What?"

"Errgh!" Sora made a frustrated noise before seizing Riku's face and pressing his lips to the taller boy's own, a little more roughly than he'd originally intended. Feeling no immediate response, he started to pull back before he suddenly couldn't – Riku's hands were holding him tightly in place, and he… he was kissing back? Sora squealed internally, parting his lips to allow Riku's probing tongue entry. His mind overloaded, he hardly noticed Riku pulling him into his lap, and only when they finally broke apart for air did he notice the excited flush in Riku's cheeks.

"So… will you?" he asked, looking hopefully into Riku's aquamarine eyes.

"Well," Riku said, grinning, "You make an interesting offer. I'll have to think it over, you know, see if the benefits outweigh the annoyance factor, and I'll get back to you by, say, next March? How's that sound?"

"Riku!"

"Sora, of _course_ I'll go out with you, how thick _are _you? I've only been obviously hinting at it for what, months? _Years_, now?"

"I wasn't sure," Sora mumbled, slightly sulky now that Riku had stopped kissing him. "Anyway, kiss me again, would you? I liked that."

Riku was happy to oblige, running his fingers through Sora's hair as he kissed him gently. "You taste like strawberries," he murmured, reaching down to slip his fingers beneath the hem of Sora's shirt.

Sora giggled into the kiss, and was about to speak when he was cut off by a loud, sarcastic voice.

"Well, aren't you two just a big fucking ray of sunshine?"

Sora scrambled back into his own chair, blushing as he stared up at Axel.

"Cafeteria romance," the redhead said, plopping his lunch tray down on the table before taking the seat across from Riku. "How very classy."

"Almost as classy as that monumental hickey on your neck," Sora observed, cheerfully digging into his previously neglected mashed potatoes. "Slutface," he added, giving Axel's hand an affectionate pat.

"Ahh, speaking of which," Axel said, a clearly fake smile plastered across his face as he looked pointedly at Riku. "I didn't know _you_ had lunch this period."

"I switched in," Riku said, feeling as though a lead weight had appeared in his stomach. Had he known today would be the day Sora cracked, he would never have had sex with Axel the day before. Unfortunately, there was no one he trusted less to keep his mouth shut about it.

"Riku's just agreed to be my boyfriend," Sora said brightly, seemingly unaware of the tension between his two companions.

"Just now?"

Sora nodded, happily shoveling more potatoes into his mouth.

Axel nodded slowly. While today had started off great with Demyx, it had taken a drastic turn for the worse in Dr. Highwind's office, and usually when he was having a horrible day, he would attempt to make everyone else's day awful as well. Watching Riku's pleading eyes and Sora's enthusiastic potato shoveling, he realized he didn't have the heart to ruin it for the two of them. Over the past month, he had seen a lot more of Sora than he used to, being over at their house all the time, and he had grown rather fond of the clumsy boy, making a new kind of friend that he'd never really had before – One that was _just_ a friend, who he couldn't even fathom calling up for an occasional fuck. He sighed, then took a large bite out of his apple. Determined to use Demyx's money for a good cause, he had gone for a healthy lunch: an apple and a turkey sandwich.

"Haven't talked to Roxas since before school yesterday," he said, trying to vaguely change the subject. "There was a slight incident in Sex Ed, and now I guess he's probably pissed at me. He was definitely avoiding me when I got to class today."

"Really?" Sora asked, sounding mildly interested. "How do you know he's avoiding you?"

"He refused to look at me, wouldn't make eye contact, and after class he bolted out of there so fast he was practically a blur," Axel said, pulling the crust off of his sandwich. "You know, I'm the one that should still be mad. He keeps teasing me."

Sora raised his eyebrows, staring directly at Axel's hickey. "Better a tease than a slut," he said, smirking.

Emerald eyes smoldering, Axel took a moment to reign in the urge to ruin their relationship before speaking through gritted teeth. "Yes, well, sexual frustration leads to desperate measures sometimes."

"You know," Sora said, starting into his asparagus, "You should really be more careful, Axel. You could get herpes."

"Well, then, I suppose you'd get it too," he muttered, glaring daggers at Riku.

"Leave him alone, So," Riku said quickly, stealing a piece of broccoli from Sora's tray. Going for another subject change, he turned to Sora. "So, I got the invitation in the mail. Who all is coming over for the third night of Hannukah this year?"

"Oh you know, the usual," Sora said, chomping through his vegetables at an alarming rate. "Nana's flying in, and all our cousins are coming, and Leon's coming home. Pretty much everyone. Leon said something about inviting an old friend from around here, but I forget who. It's going to be so fun!" he squealed, accidentally knocking his knitting to the floor in his excitement.

"What are you guys talking about?" Axel asked, utterly lost.

"Hannukah!" Sora exclaimed, beaming. "Didn't Roxas send you an invitation?"

Axel's silence answered the question for him. He sighed again, realizing his day had just managed to get even worse.

"Oh…"

Dropping his sandwich, Axel pushed his tray away and stood up.

"See you guys later."

"Axel, wait, I-I'm sure he meant to…" Sora trailed off as Axel disappeared into the crowd of students. "Roxas _told_ me he was going to invite Axel. He told me yesterday."

Riku shrugged. "They'll work it out," he said.

Sora continued to look upset, though, poking at his food. "I just wonder what's going on with him. Roxas seemed really determined yesterday…"

Riku sighed, then leaned over to kiss Sora's cheek. "They'll be fine," he said, leaning further over and playfully licking the brunet's ear.

"Riku!" Sora giggled a little. "That tickles! Rikuuuu!"

"Hmm? What? I can't hear you!"

"Riku!"

Riku only laughed, lapping at a newly found sensitive spot behind Sora's ear.

"Sto-ooop, Riku!"

Riku grinned. He had waited what seemed like forever to be able to do this, and he had no intention of stopping.

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Roxas let out a sigh, frantically shuffling through his notebook as he hurried down the hall. He was already taking too long getting back to class, and he couldn't find the notes he needed anywhere.

_Shit!_

A small envelope had just dropped from his notebook, and bending down to pick it up, Roxas remembered what it was. He had been unable to find Axel in the school's address book, so he had saved the Hannukah invitation to give to him in person. Yesterday he had been so determined to come clean with Axel, but when the redhead stalked into Sex Ed late, sporting a giant new hickey and a furious scowl, Roxas had lost his nerve.

Hastily grabbing the envelope, he stuffed it into his pocket as he rounded the corner, looking up just in time to walk directly into a very surprised looking Axel.

"Oh! I… uh… sorry," he mumbled, staring at his shoes.

"What are you doing here?" Axel asked, venom dripping from every word.

"Going to class," Roxas answered defensively.

"It's funny I should run into you, it's too bad all your efforts went to waste."

"What?"

"You've been obviously avoiding me," Axel said, sounding almost hurt.

"You were late!" Roxas said, shrugging. "What was I supposed to do, turn around and strike up a conversation in the middle of class?"

"You could have waited for me at the end of the period, like you usually do, but _nooo_, you ran out of that classroom like I was the fucking grim reaper or something!"

"I'm sorry, ok? I didn't know you would take it so personally that I had to get to my next class!" Roxas looked away, avoiding Axel's eyes.

An awkward silence ensued, Axel still trying to make eye contact while Roxas stared anywhere but at the other boy's eyes. He watched Axel's hands instead. While the rest of him seemed calm enough, in the cool, angry sense of the word, Axel's fingers fidgeted with the edges of his gloves where they cut off around his knuckles.

Finally, the redhead spoke. "Were you planning on inviting me to Hannukah? Since, you know, according to Sora, 'everyone' is going."

Before Roxas could reply, he continued. "So let's see, if everyone is invited, and I'm _not_ invited, what does that make me? Nothing?"

"Axel…"

"What?" he spat.

Roxas noticed small flames licking over the edges of Axel's fingers now.

"I couldn't find your address in the school directory," he said, eyeing the flickering blue flames. He pulled the crisp envelope from his pocket and stared at it. "I was just going to give it to you in person."

"If you were actually going to do that, why would you avoid me all morning?"

"Because!" Roxas burst out, finally looking Axel in the eye, "Because when you walked into class, you looked about ready to murder someone, Axel. You just- you can be really… intimidating sometimes! Maybe you don't realize that, but it's true!"

Axel's glare morphed into a more surprised expression. He opened his mouth to reply, but before he could, Roxas was furiously speaking again.

"Plus," he began. "You… You're not the only one who's allowed to get mad… about stuff…"

"Oh, don't tell me you're actually pissed off about that stupid comment in class about-about getting in your pants."

"No!" Roxas said sharply. "Its-it's not that."

"Well, what then?"

Unable to keep the hurt from his eyes, Roxas gestured to the hickey on Axel's neck. "Where…Where did _that_ come from?" he asked, the strength he had worked up earlier in the conversation vanishing from his voice.

"That has nothing to do with what we're talking about," Axel said shakily, avoiding dragging Riku into the conversation.

"Why won't you answer?"

"Because it's unrelated!"

"It's not unrelated!" Roxas said, nearly shouting now.

"Why do you even care?" Axel shot back, matching Roxas's loud tone.

"Because I don't want you doing that with anyone else!" Before he could stop himself, the words were just sort of flowing out, and Roxas was beyond control as he continued to shout at Axel in the hallway. "I just want you with _me_, I want you to only think of _me_ that way, and I want you all to myself! And I know, I know that's a stupid, _selfish_ thing to want, and-and unrealistic, but when I'm not with you I'm missing you, and whenever I hear anything funny, I immediately think of how you'll react when I tell you later, and when I'm with you I want to impress you and make you laugh and I _care_ what you think, and I don't think you fully realize that, Axel! Did you-did you know, that every weekend since you've started spending Friday and Saturday nights at my house, I feel cold on Sunday night without you holding me? No matter how many blankets I put on, it's not the same, and I can be sweating and way too hot and still not feel warm the way I do when it's you creating the heat. And I hate vampire movies! I _hate _them, but I'd watch them every night for-for however long you wanted, just so I could curl up with you on the couch or on my bed, and feel you breathing, and-and breathe in the way you smell, oh God, I-I can't even walk past Old Spice in the grocery store without stopping to smell it now, because it reminds me of you. And every time I pass someone smoking, Sora starts hacking and talking about how gross the smoke is, but I don't mind, Axel, because the smell of cigarette smoke reminds me of you, too, now. On Sunday nights, when I'm feeling cold, I love that I can still smell that on my pillow – the smoke, and the deodorant, and just-just _you_, because I can close my eyes and just bury my face in it and if I'm sleepy enough, I can imagine you're still there with me. But even when I imagine, Axel, it doesn't compare, _nothing_ can compare, to when I'm falling asleep on your shoulder, all wrapped up in your arms, because then, when I'm with you like that, it feels… It feels like home… when you're with me."

Roxas finally stopped yelling, his voice cracking as he ran out of steam towards the end of his outburst. He stared at his shoes again, too embarrassed to look at Axel. The older boy's silence was enough to make him want to cry, and as tears filled his eyes, he shoved the invitation into Axel's hands.

"So there you have it," he finished weakly, turning to leave. Hearing a noise, he watched as the envelope hit the ground, then looked up at Axel, hurt. "You don't even want it?"

But Axel didn't answer immediately, choosing instead to simply pull the younger boy into a tight embrace. "Of course I want it," he murmured, burying his face in Roxas's messy hair. "I just want you more. I'll pick it up when my hands are free."

Roxas smiled a little, a small laugh escaping his throat as he snuggled against Axel's comfortingly warm chest. After a few minutes, Axel pulled Roxas with him to lean his back against a locker, and the two boys stayed there for a long time, clutching each other tightly until the bell finally rang, and the hallway began to fill with other students. Only then did Axel let go of Roxas to pick up his invitation, and only after making the blond promise to hurry out of his last class did he allow him to go to Chemistry.

Axel smiled as he watched Roxas disappear into the crowd. The day was turning out alright after all.

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AN: Yay! Fun! Fluff! Let me know what you thought! (Read: REVIEW!) Thanks so much for reading!

ALSO, I have been updating I think every day since I started this story, but alas, school starts this next week. Unlike Axel, I don't plan on failing Junior year, so it may take me a little bit longer to update once the homework starts to pile on, since, well, I don't think my teachers would accept "I was writing another chapter of my fanfiction! It's totally cute, Demyx is such a fruit!" as a good enough reason not to do homework.

Anyways, if you took the time to read the chapter, take the extra 30 seconds to review! (Pretty please?) Reading your reviews makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside, kind of like listening to Ben Folds or getting a paycheck! And even if you don't review, thank you so much for reading! XD


	8. Hannukah: Part 1!

Disclaimer: Kingdom Hearts does not belong to me!  
AN: Ahh! Sorry for the delay on this chapter, school started up complete with a shitload of homework on the first day, and the tech people at my school took my laptop away to update antivirus software. I was fanfiction deprived. Thank you so much for reading and reviewing (and fav/alerting)! I appreciate it so much!

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_Roarrrrrrrrr!_

Riku gripped the armrest for dear life as Axel switched into 3rd gear. He could feel the car slipping on the icy road, and he idly wondered if they would even make it to Sora and Roxas's house for Hannukah alive. Axel had cranked the MSI, it being his favorite driving music, and he bobbed his head cheerfully along with the beat as he sang.

"_The bass, the rock, the mic, the treble, I like my coffee black, just like my metal…"_

Riku groaned. "I don't know how Roxas can even stand being around you all the time," he said, clutching Sora's present to his chest for safekeeping. He was beginning to regret ever asking Axel for a ride.

It had been two weeks since their encounter in the nurse's office, but it seemed like much longer. They had agreed to pretend it never happened, and after getting to know Axel a little better, Riku could hardly believe he had ever even done it. After all, the guy was happily listening to a song with whip noises in the background.

"_I can't wait for you to shut me up and make me, hip like badass! I can't wait for you to shut me up. SHUT. IT. UP."_

"Axel, that was a _stop sign_, it means you _stop_!"

"I was trying," Axel said, shooting Riku a sunny grin. "Nadia's brakes don't work so well when the roads are slick. And with all the snow and ice around, I think when we get to the house I'll just have to put her in neutral a block back and coast into the driveway."

"Are you serious?"

"_Can't wait for you to shut me up…"_

Riku sighed, deciding that he liked Axel better in small doses. The redhead had been unusually cheerful for the past couple of weeks, ever since Roxas professed his undying love in the hallways.

"I can't believe you're seriously driving a car that can't brake in the wintertime," he said darkly, mentally preparing himself to jump out of the car if it became necessary.

"Well, _I _can't believe you got Sora a _towel_ for Hannukah," Axel said, swerving to avoid a pedestrian.

"It's a nice towel," Riku snapped. "And he said he wanted one. He doesn't have any big, fluffy towels because _Roxas_ steals them all, and plus, I got him a little stuffed lion to go with it! And-wait, what _is_ this!"

Riku's face contorted as the next song on Axel's mix came on. Drastically different from the previous song, he recognized the band as one that Sora liked a lot. "…You like Junior Senior?" he asked incredulously.

"_Watch out! We are! Rhythm! Bandits! Whooo! B-b-b-b-b-b-b-bandits! Rhythm!"_

"You have, seriously, _the weirdest_ taste in music of anyone I know."

"So what? Either way, I bet you haven't fucked Sora yet, have you?"

"You know, you have serious issues," Riku said, staring out the window. "It's really none of your business."

"Ahh, so I guessed right, you haven't. Nonono, don't even try to deny it, if you had, you'd be gloating about it. I know you better than you think."

"It's not as if I should have, anyway," he grumbled. "I've only been officially allowed to kiss him for two weeks. He's a virgin, he's not ready."

Axel made a noise of disbelief and turned to stare at Riku, clearly feeling wronged. "Lucky bitch!" he cried. "Roxas _still_ won't let me kiss him. He says he wants it to be special."

Riku grinned smugly. "I know."

"Although," Axel added, "To be fair, he let me give him a hand job last weekend."

"Ha!" Riku snorted. "I'd choose making out over jerking Sora off any day."

Axel raised his eyebrows. "You don't know Rox," he said, smirking. "The kid moans like no other, and he makes the cutest faces when he comes. Seriously, it gives me good fantasy material for the next few days. He won't let me blow him, but I'm workin' on it. No shit, though, he makes the sexiest noises."

"This was more information than I needed," Riku said, grimacing.

After listening just to the music for a moment, Riku noticed the wide grin that had spread across Axel's face. "Do I even want to know what you're thinking about?"

Axel turned, placing his extended fingers over his mouth in a mock surprised face. "Ooh, _Axel_, harder, _harder_!" he cried, imitating Roxas's moans. Scrunching his eyes closed, he seductively licked one of his fingers. "_Faster_, Axel, I-I'm gonna cum, Ax!"

"Oh my _GOD_, would you _watch the road?_!" Riku shouted, grabbing the wheel to swerve back onto the correct side of the road.

Axel simply chewed his gum happily, checking the clock. They still had around 7 minutes, which was good, since they were still a few minutes away.

"I knew you hadn't fucked Sora, anyway, I just wanted to rub it in," he said, checking his rear view mirror before switching lanes.

Riku narrowed his eyes. "How did you know?"

"I'm better friends with Sora than you think," Axel replied, waggling his eyebrows at the other boy. "I agreed to help him out with his Hannukah present for _you_, and we got to talking, you know."

"What's my present?"

"You'll see," Axel said brightly, turning the corner to Sora and Roxas's house a block early. "Alright, ready? Here goes!"

"No, Axel, this is a stupid- shit!"

The car lurched as Axel put it in neutral, and gradually began to slow as they neared the house. "Don't worry," he said, patting Riku's shoulder. "I've done this before."

Finally, only a few yards past the house, Nadia slowed to a stop. Putting on the parking brake, Axel stepped out and slammed the door, his feet crunching on the snow in the street. Riku, slightly shaken, climbed out into a large snow bank, grimacing as he felt the snow enter his shoes.

"Come on," he said, glaring at Axel. "We're a minute late."

"40 seconds early by my watch," Axel said, locking the car and jogging a bit to catch up with Riku.

Hearing loud noises from inside the house, Riku went ahead and opened the door without knocking. Peeking around the corner as he slipped his shoes off, he waved at Sora in the kitchen. "Hey!"

Without hesitation, he headed in. Axel, on the other hand, stood awkwardly for a moment after taking his shoes off, looking around for Roxas. There were a lot of people he didn't know hanging around, and- Aha! Spotting blond spikes over the back of the couch, he strode confidently over and ruffled Roxas's hair. Unfortunately, the spiky blond on the couch turned out not to be Roxas.

"Mr. Strife!" Axel said, mortified to have ruffled his mortal enemy's hair.

"We're not at school, now, Axel, you can call me Cloud," he replied, straightening his hair out and standing up to shake Axel's hand in greeting.

Axel gulped. It was unnatural for him to see a teacher anywhere but at school, and Mr. Strife seemed strangely… un-teacherly. Wearing a tight, forest green, v-neck sweater and loose jeans, he seemed, well, normal.

Axel was momentarily at a loss for words. Luckily, the moment didn't last long. A strikingly handsome brunet appeared beside Cloud, draping an arm across the blond's shoulders. Judging by the slightly lopsided, homemade-looking belt the man was wearing, Axel assumed this must be the brother, Leon, who Mr. Strife had been eager to see.

"You must be Axel," he said, his voice deeper than Axel had been expecting. Extending a hand to shake, he continued. "I'm Leon, Sora and Roxas's older brother. Roxas has told me all about you. In fact, I can hardly get him to shut up."

"Ooh, can I help you interrogate him later?" Cloud asked, grinning wickedly at the redhead as he shook hands with Leon.

Axel looked vaguely terrified, eyeing his gym teacher with distrust.

"Ahh, yes, payback for every time you ditched gym class."

"Le-oonn! Stop _scaring_ him!"

Roxas appeared from behind the two men, a piece of shredded potato stuck to his cheek and a dirty apron fastened around his neck and waist. "Hi Axel," he added, giving him a quick kiss on the cheek. Axel smiled, surprised at the blond's boldness. Usually, he would allow Axel to kiss his cheek, but he had been too shy in the past to make any moves of his own. Leon raised his eyebrows but said nothing, opting instead to give Roxas a knowing look before dragging Cloud away to meet a distant cousin.

"_ROXAS! ROXAAAAAAS!"_

"Oh!" Roxas exclaimed, clearly remembering someone he had left in the other room. "Come on!" he called over his shoulder, halfway to the kitchen by the time Axel had even registered his movement. A bit dazzled by the sudden flurry of action, Axel stumbled into the kitchen, only to find himself confronted by a small, very angry looking, old woman.

After scrutinizing Axel for a moment, the woman shouted over her shoulder. "Roxas! Roxas, who _is_ this boy?" A thick New York accent tinted her words, and Axel winced as her shrill voice rang in his ears.

"I-I'm Axel," he said meekly, holding out a hand in an effort to be polite.

"I don't recall anyone asking for _your_ opinion," she snapped, smacking his hand away. "What are you, Irish? Why is your hair so red? And why is it sticking up like that, don't you own a hairbrush?"

"Err… My mom's Canadian?"

Once again, Roxas came to the rescue before the angry woman could launch another verbal assault on Axel.

"Nana!" he cried, spatula in hand. "Nana, this is Axel, he's the one I was telling you about."

"_This _scrawny thing?" she asked loudly, poking Axel hard in the ribcage.

Yelping in pain and rubbing his ribs, Axel shot Roxas a dark look.

"This is your grandmother?"

"Nana, he's not _that_… scrawny," Roxas said, sounding more and more desperate. "He's very nice. And in fact, sometimes he seriously reminds me of you."

Both Nana and Axel looked up, the same furious yet incredulous look plastered across both of their faces.

Roxas seemed not to notice their newly fueled anger. "You two will get along great!" he exclaimed, waving his spatula wildly. "Axel, you can help Nana make latkes! It's great timing, actually, because I have some last minute gift wrapping to do upstairs!"

"I-I can help you wrap your-"

"No, no!" Roxas shouted over his shoulder, practically dashing from the kitchen. "You two have fun!"

Axel sighed, unsure of what a latke was or why Roxas had run away, leaving him with this seemingly crazy old woman. He watched sullenly from a few feet back as Nana manned the stove.

"Well, come on, aren't you going to help an old lady make latkes? Or are you too busy feeling sorry for yourself?"

Axel approached the stove angrily, taking up a spot beside Roxas's grandmother. "What's a latke?" he asked, bracing himself for the attack.

"You wouldn't know, would you? Canadian, you said?"

Axel opened his mouth to reply, but was cut off.

"Do they not feed their children in Canada? What kind of mother lets her son get so skinny?"

"You know-"

"What you need," Nana continued, ignoring Axel's attempts to interrupt her, "Is a good Jewish woman in your life to cook for you. Fatten you up a bit."

"Well, I have Roxas."

"Now, you listen to me! I'm perfectly okay with all three of my grandsons being gay, and if you have an issue with it, you can leave."

"Why would I have an issue with it?" Axel said, trying to keep from laughing.

"You just called my _grandson_ a _woman_!" Slamming the spatula down, Nana's voice was rising in anger.

"You insulted my mother!" Axel cried, ignoring the drops of sizzling oil flying off of the latke pan.

"You were blatantly making fun of my grandchild! You can't just go around calling him-"

"I can call Roxas anything I want, thank you."

"If you were in the family, you could get away with it as a joke, but you're not!"

"I-"

"Are you in the family?"

"No, I-"

"_Are you his relative?_"

"No, but I'm his-"

"That's what I thought!" Nana cried triumphantly, grabbing the spatula off the counter again to flip a latke.

"I'm his _boyfriend_!" Axel shouted, finally able to finish his sentence.

Nana gaped open-mouthed at Axel for a moment before speaking. "What? Roxas has a boyfriend?"

Axel narrowed his eyes. "What did he say I was?"

"He didn't," Nana said matter-of-factly, beaming as she flipped a latke. "My Roxas has got a boyfriend!"

"What did he say about me?"

"A latke," Nana said, flipping another, "Is a potato pancake that you eat during Hannukah."

"Well I dunno if I can eat one, you know, since my Canadian mother is set against her child having food." Axel smirked, vaguely aware that he had won the argument.

"Don't be smart with me," Nana said warningly, raising her eyebrows at Axel.

"Would you rather I be dumb?" he replied, grinning.

"I-I heard yelling, is everything alright?"

Axel and Nana both turned around to find Roxas peering tentatively around the corner.

"I like this one," Nana said, waving the spatula in Axel's direction. "He's not a pushover like your brother."

"Sora's not a pushover, Nana!"

Relieved that there wasn't a full-out fistfight occurring in his absence, Roxas finally walked into the room and moved up to the stove to take the latkes off the pan.

"He's too nice," Nana muttered. "What do _you_ think, _Axel_?"

Axel flashed a sugary-sweet smile. "I think Sora's very nice."

"Too nice?"

"…Maybe."

Nana let out a grandmotherly cackle before sniffing the air a few times. "This boy smells like cigarettes," she declared, stalking into the dining room.

Roxas grinned, piling the last latke onto a huge platter. "You see her?" he asked, gesturing to the dining room, "That's you in 60 years."

Axel snorted. "I can deal with that," he murmured, hugging Roxas close from behind. "As long as I can still… do… this…" Roxas giggled a little as the older boy softly kissed his neck and ear.

"Ax, stop, someone's gonna see…"

"Do you consider me your boyfriend?"

Roxas turned, examining Axel's unreadable expression. "Yea, why?"

Axel's face split into a grin. "No reason, just wondering. Now come on, I'm hungry! God, Rox, why do you have to _take _so long with the damn food?"

Roxas rolled his eyes and smacked the other boy's arm. "Shut up, you." Whisking the platter of latkes out of Axel's reach, he headed into the dining room. "_God, _Ax, why you gotta _take_ so long to walk _in here?_ You walk so _slow_!"

A collective "Oooh" echoed through the house as the relatives in the dining room witnessed Roxas's giant plate of latkes. The family managed to all get seated around the large table, with the four high school boys crowded around one corner and end. Axel sat impatiently through the blessings and the menorah lighting, eyeing the latkes hungrily until he finally heard the words he had longed to hear, uttered by none other than the infamous Nana:

"Dig in!"

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AN: Sooo, what'd you think? Hannukah continues in the next chapter, complete with some yummy lemon. XD Just a warning, it may be next weekend before I have the time to update. Still, exciting! Thanks so much! Hugs for reading and extra hugs if you review!


	9. Hannukah: Part 2!

Disclaimer: Kingdom Hearts does not belong to me!  
AN: Hannukah Part 2, this chap ends up with Riku and Sora, next chap will cover the same period of time with Axel and Roxas.. and then continuing. And to think, Hannukah was going to be entirely contained in Chapter 8 in my original plan ( heh heh, it turned out a bit different than I had planned in a number of ways... ) ! Anyways, since Review Reply feature hates me, I will reply to some specific ones here, and to any I don't have a specific reply to: THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU! Thank you so much for reviewing! I read every single review (well, they all come in emails to me so... yea) and get like... drastically excited about each one! Soooo, yes.

**Holy Virgin**: I want latkes too. Technically, there is no rule that you can't have latkes when it isn't Hannukah, but it takes away from the awesomeness when it IS Hannukah, so... yea. Oh, latkes.  
**Orochimaru/Cassiel Darkmoon: **You have no idea how cool it is to get three emails in a row with reviews from the same person on different chapters. XD It's a good thing! Thank you so much!  
**Cavechan: **How could Roxas NOT like KAT-TUN? I am madly in love with Kame (I made my friend buy me posters of him when she went to Japan). After all, he is pretty much a sex bomb.  
**Trekiael: **Your reviews are hella detailed, which is awesome! Thank you so much! Whoah!

**Note: To those of you who have found it interesting or hard to believe that Sora, Roxas, and Leon are Jewish - I didn't particularly mean anything significant by it. Since I am Jewish, it would be awkward for me to write a Christmas chapter, seeing as Christmas at my house includes Chinese food and movies (Note: not vampire movies XD). No, not all of the characters are Jewish - Axel celebrates Christmas, and Riku... er... Riku is Riku. It can be fun to shake things up a little - I have read at least 5 bazillion (give or take a few) Christmas fics, and while many of them were absolutely adorable, mistletoe is seriously overused. **

**Anyways, now that the incessant ramblings are done, enjoy Chapter 9!  
**

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Riku considered this a strange sort of bonding moment between him and Roxas. The two shared a look of outright amazement at the sheer amount of food that was disappearing into the mouths of the two boys between them.

"It's like a black hole," Roxas whispered, watching as Sora and Axel each devoured their 18th latke.

Riku nodded weakly. "It's a good thing you made so much." He watched for a moment more, then looked away, a little disturbed. Hoping for a better view, he stared across the table at Leon and Cloud, who were making applesauce faces on their potato pancakes.

"So, uh, how long have you two been… err… friends?"

Cloud looked up. "Friends?" he repeated, laughing. "Well, we knew each other in high school…"

"Cloud was second in our graduating class," Leon added, dropping a glob of applesauce down for a nose. "This was before he squandered his education and became a gym teacher."

"You act like it's a bad thing! I _like_ being a gym teacher!"

"Yeah, so you can watch a bunch of high school boys tackle each other," Leon muttered, attempting to create eyelashes on his applesauce face. "Either way, we knew each other kind of as school friends in high school, and then we kept in touch once I went to Balamb, and we realized we had a lot more in common than we thought."

Cloud nodded. "And then we were friends for a while…"

"Were?" Riku asked, taking a sip of water. "Aren't you still?"

"Well…"

Leon paused, exchanging another of his trademark knowing looks with Cloud before kissing the blond lightly on the forehead.

"I guess we're friends," Cloud said, smiling. "Friends that like to…er… hug. A lot."

"And have sex," Leon said, chomping on an ice cube from his water. "But you guys shouldn't," he added. "You'll definitely get Chlamydia."

"Don't mock me!" Cloud said, swatting Leon indignantly on the arm. "I'm primarily a gym teacher, not just Sex Ed!"

Riku rolled his eyes as the two older men squabbled across the table. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed a definitive lack of frantic eating. Sora and Axel appeared to have finally satisfied their appetites; the two of them were discussing past food conquests instead.

"You two are finally done?"

Sora looked up from his conversation. "Oh, no, we're just saving room for-"

"Boys! _Boys!_ Come get cake!"

Axel and Sora were practically in the kitchen by the time Sora's mom had finished her sentence. Roxas simply exchanged exasperated shrugs with Riku before heading in, and by the time they got there, Axel had finished his cake and had stepped outside to smoke. Not all that hungry, Roxas headed out to the front porch and sat down beside Axel, who was lighting his cigarette by holding it to the palm of his hand.

"Wow. I guess your hands are really that hot, then," he said, watching as Axel took his first puff and put his glove back on.

Axel simply nodded, his eyes fixed on the sun setting behind the house across the street. After a few moments, he noticed Roxas staring at him quizzically, and turned to blow smoke in the other boy's face. Coughing and sputtering, Roxas shoved him against the railing.

"What was that for? It stung my eyes!"

Axel smiled. "Wimp. Come here." Wrapping an arm around Roxas's shoulders, he pulled the smaller boy closer to him.

"I'm not a wimp," he grumbled. Reaching for Axel's cigarette, he added: "Let me try that, anyway, I never have before."

"Nuh uh!" Axel replied, holding the cigarette out of Roxas's reach. "It's bad for you. Plus, you wouldn't like it."

"Lemme try, Axel!"

"Are you kidding? No way!"

"Axel!"

"You seriously want to try it?" Axel seemed to be cracking under Roxas's glare.

The blond nodded furiously, still trying to grab the cigarette from Axel's kung fu finger grip.

"You won't like it!"

"I don't care!"

"Fine."

Axel handed Roxas the cigarette. "But I'm telling you, you won't like it."

Planning on blowing just as much smoke in Axel's face, Roxas placed the cigarette in his mouth and inhaled deeply, only to find himself coughing uncontrollably, his throat burning and his eyes watering. Through the coughing fit, he felt Axel take his cigarette back, and when he was finally done, he looked up to see the older boy smiling.

"I told you you wouldn't like it."

"Shut up," Roxas said, coughing again as he tried to speak. "You suck! You're mean!"

"You don't really mean that, do you?"

Roxas shook his head. "Sorry. What's with you, anyway? You've been acting like a normal person all night! You didn't even try to grope me under the table during dinner. Are you alright?"

"I'm just thinking," Axel replied vaguely. Judging by the look Roxas gave him, he figured this was not an acceptable answer. "What, I'm not allowed to have a pensive moment?"

Roxas raised his eyebrows. Axel was still smiling – not his usual sarcastic smirk, but a relaxed, calm sort of smile.

"I'm just happy," he said, grabbing Roxas's hand. "Estoy muy contento. I like your family. And latkes."

"Axel?"

Sora poked his head out the front door. "Axel, I need your help. With, you know, the thing. For Riku."

"You sure you want to do it?" Axel asked, letting go of Roxas's hand to stand up.

Sora nodded, grinning. "Come on!"

Axel leaned down to plant a kiss on Roxas's head, then put out his cigarette. "I'll be back in a few minutes," he said, his hands lingering on Roxas's shoulders. "Don't stay out here, you'll get too cold!"

He followed Sora up the stairs to his room, shutting the door behind him. "So where's the dress? Let's see it."

Sora ducked into his closet and closed the door, shuffling around for a minute before emerging in a slinky black dress. "I got boots, too!" he said excitedly, pulling a pair of knee-high black combat boots out from underneath a pile of laundry. "I just need you to help me with my face. And my nails."

Axel nodded, grinning. "You're cute in drag," he said, pulling an eyeliner pencil from his pocket. "Now sit down and close your eyes. And hold still. This stuff is tough to get off if I mess it up."

Sora happily obliged, sitting down on his bed beside the redhead and closing his eyes tightly.

"Don't scrunch your eyes up," Axel said, laughing as he gently outlined his friend's eyes and smeared a bit of shimmery black shadow across his lids. "Now open them."

Axel had to admit Sora looked kind of like a hooker, which was the look he had been shooting for. After sliding a layer of slick, clear lip gloss onto his friend's lips for a cute, pouty sort of look, he pulled out the black nail polish. "You sure you want your nails done, too? It'll take a minute to dry, and you don't want to mess it all up and get it on Riku."

"I have to!" Sora said, spreading his hands out in front of Axel. "I'm going for the dark sex kitten image, here, Axel! It's the little details that count. And the dress."

Axel grinned and began to paint. "You should loan that outfit to your brother once you're done with it."

Sora made a face. "And let my little brother look like a whore?"

Axel pouted. "It'd just be for me! And be careful who you call little." Blowing on Sora's nails a final time, he looked up. "I think you're good. Stand up and turn around in a circle, let me see if there's anything that needs fixing."

Sora stood up clumsily in his boots, fastening a black collar around his neck. "Good?"

Axel raised his eyebrows. "You, uh, you may want to pull the dress down a little. It's, well, it's not quite long enough…"

Sora looked in the mirror and yelped. "You can see my-"

"Yeah. You might want to, uh… yeah. Good. That's better."

Having pulled his dress down a few inches, Sora stood up tall and made a seductive face at himself in the mirror. "Go get Riku, would you? Thanks for the makeup and stuff!"

Axel nodded and headed back downstairs, smirking as he entered the kitchen. Roxas and Riku were sharing a small piece of cake.

"Riku, you should go up to Sora's room. He wants to see you. He has a surprise for you."

"My present for you is up in my room, too," Roxas said, putting their dish in the sink. "We should go up."

The three boys climbed the stairs together, and Riku peeled off from the group at Sora's room, the other two heading down the hall to Roxas's.

Knocking tentatively at the door, Riku wondered what kind of surprise it would be.

"Riku?"

"That's me."

"Come in," Sora called. As Riku entered the room, he noticed the lights had been dimmed. Then he noticed the candles, then the lack of stuffed animals on Sora's bed, then-

_Holy shit!_

Sora was lounging on the bed, his lithe body stretched out seductively. "Lock the door," he said, crawling off the bed and striding toward Riku. "Surprise…"

Riku's breath hitched as he felt his pants grow tighter. Sora was so close now, running his fingers lightly across the platinum blond's stomach and hips, then pushing his shirt up over his head. Taking Riku's hands in his own, Sora pushed him against the closed door. "Do you want to touch me, Riku?" he whispered, reaching for the other boy's zipper.

_Oh, dear God…_

Riku vaguely remembered a dream he had had once, but soon left it behind: this was much better than any dream. Sora's dress was tight, and the large bulge in the front was clearly visible. Picking the brunet up, Riku kicked his pants off as he headed for the bed, laying the other boy on his back before crushing their lips together in an almost painfully hard kiss. Pushing a dress strap off of Sora's shoulder, he hungrily kissed his way across the boy's collarbone. Sora moaned and arched his back, tugging ineffectively at Riku's boxers in an attempt to get them off. Finally successful, Sora tossed them to the floor before pushing Riku off a bit and turning around, grasping the bars on his headboard and looking over his shoulder at the other boy.

"You don't have to turn around, I-I can still get in if you're facing me," Riku said, trying to catch his breath.

"But this is kinkier," Sora replied, licking his lips before hiking up his dress a bit. "Come _on_, Riku!"

Riku shrugged, then wetted a finger with saliva before slipping it inside. Sora gasped, unaccustomed to the new sensation. After a moment, though, he opened his eyes and looked back at Riku. "More…"

Riku nodded and pulled his finger out, leaving Sora empty for a moment before returning with two. He had always assumed that when he finally had sex with Sora, there would be extensive, slow-moving foreplay, nothing like this. He worked his fingers around, pushing Sora open, until once again, he wanted more. A third finger caused a small whimper of pain, but just like before, Sora adjusted quickly.

"Riku, please… I-I'm ready," he whined, gripping the headboard tightly.

Taking a deep breath, Riku slowly pushed himself inside. Sora was tight around him, and the feeling was amazing, though the brunet was shaking a little now, unprepared for the pain. Riku stayed still for a minute, gently kissing Sora's shoulders and neck while he wrapped his hand around the other boy's erection. Slowly, he began to move inside him, timing his thrusts with those of his hand, speeding up a little bit at a time until Sora's gasps and moans seemed to indicate pleasure, not pain.

"Ri-Riku… _Riku_… "

"Louder," Riku hissed, wrapping one arm up around the brunet's shoulder for better leverage.

"_Riku! _Ri-nnnghh…"

Sora shuddered as he came, spilling his seed across his sheets. His moans and the feeling of the hot liquid on Riku's hands were enough to send the platinum blond over the edge, as well. Sora collapsed, completely spent, clinging to the headboard to keep his body off the bed as Riku rolled off of him.

"What are you doing?" Riku asked, out of breath.

"It's… it's a really… nice dress… and I don't… want to get stuff… on it…" Sora managed to get a sentence out, gasping for air between words.

Riku shook his head and grinned, helping Sora get the dress off before pulling him down to the bed, not caring how messy he got. Sora wrapped his arms around Riku, snuggling his face against the taller boy's chest. The two lay there for a minute, both basking in the afterglow, until Sora finally spoke.

"Hey Riku."

"Mm?"

"Guess what?"

"What?" Riku asked, exhausted but content.

"I'm not the last male virgin in our grade anymore!" Sora exclaimed, looking up excitedly.

Riku snorted. "First of all, you weren't anyway, I just told you that when I was bitter because you wouldn't admit you liked me. And second of all, even if it was true, you would still have _been_ the last male virgin. It's not like every time someone loses their virginity, someone else gets a new one."

Sora made a face and snuggled against Riku's chest again. "Spoilsport," he mumbled. Riku laughed quietly and idly played with Sora's hair.

After another long silence, Sora spoke again.

"Hey Riku?"

"Yea?"

"Guess what?"

Riku laughed. "What?"

Sora sat up, his face turning red. "I… I love you," he said quietly, looking away at first, then back at Riku with a hopeful expression.

Riku sat up too, studying Sora's face before pulling him into a soft kiss. "I love you too," he murmured, smiling.

"Really?"

"Really."

Sora lay back, then sat up, looking disgusted. "I need to change these sheets." Feeling his back, he made a face at Riku. "And shower. You should, too. You can come with!"

Riku grinned, pulling the sheets off with him as he stood up and crumpling them into a pile on the ground before following Sora into the bathroom.

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AN: Eeeee! That is all.

Just kidding. As usual, if you are reading this, Thank you so much for reading! Please review and let me know what you thought! (Yay! Hugs)

Next chapter has milder err... citrus. And is more AkuRoku centered. And other stuff. Yeah. Thanks again! Eeee!


	10. Hannukah: Part 3!

Disclaimer: Kingdom Hearts does not belong to me!  
AN: Ok, so last chapter dealt with Riku and Sora's night, and now we head on over to Roxas's room to check out the action over there. Fun stuff, kids!  
Warning: Lemon! XD  
Review Replies:  
**glassxshadow: **Alas, I have not read that story. However, I will go look for it to read it. Also, thanks so much for the nice review!  
**Zolarius:** Thanks for the review, complete with a real live suggestion/constructive criticism! Yayy! I tried to take it to heart for this chapter, so see if I did a better job this time around. Thanks so much!  
**Raevyn1313**: Thanks for the numerous reviews! XD Is your fanart online anywhere? It sounds awesome! Also, in regards to the t.a.t.u./KAT-TUN mixup, KAT-TUN is a different band (heh).  
**NocturnalWriter**: In regards to Axel's fire thingy, it just seemed logical, since he's like.. the fire dude. Incidentally, I've seen it in a lot of other fanfics as well, so it wasn't like my original idea or anything. (I wish!) Thanks for the review!  
**LuvJRock**: KATTUN is definitely better than 'Nsync, but Axel doesn't know that! XD I have a serious Akame obsession, so no worries, I love KAT-TUN. Thanks for the review!  
**Karesu:** I have to admit, I am a more intense AkuRoku fangirl than RikuSora as well. But I love them all. Who doesn't? Yay!

**To everyone else who read, reviewed, or added to their faves or alerts list, THANK YOU SO MUCH! I baked cookies yesterday, and even though I am sending them to my brother, in spirit, I am sending them to you. (Yes, that was cheesy). So, since I have actually managed to procrastinate doing my homework until 1:00 AM when I am now FINALLY done with and posting this chapter, I seriously hope you guys like it! Once again, thank you so much! Enjoy! XD**  
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Axel grinned over his shoulder as he watched Riku enter Sora's room.

"What's Sora giving him, anyway?" Roxas asked, ushering Axel into his own bedroom. Axel giggled a little.

"You don't want to know."

"Yes I do! Tell me!"

Axel sighed and sat down on Roxas's bed. "Listen, Rox, I told you you wouldn't like smoking, and you didn't. So take my word for it, you don't want to know what Sora's present is."

Roxas rolled his eyes. "Fine," he said, pulling a small wrapped box out of the drawer in his bedside table. "This is for you. I made it myself!"

Axel smirked. "Is it a belt?" he asked, laughing as he pulled the ribbon off. Roxas laughed too, sitting cross-legged across from him.

"C'mon, c'mon, open it!" he said, poking at Axel's legs excitedly.

Axel batted his hands away. "This is why they don't give you sugar." He hesitated for a moment after ripping off the wrapping paper. "Rox, I feel bad, I didn't get you anything. I don't want to open this until I can give you something back."

"Ax-_elll_, open it already! You coming to dinner tonight was present enough, ok? I don't need anything. Open it!"

"Okay, okay! Calm down, would you?"

Axel opened the box tantalizingly slowly, amused by Roxas's excitement. A thin, silver chain lay inside, and he discarded the box after lifting it out. "You _made_ this? Like, with your hands?"

Roxas nodded anxiously. "For my art credit at school, I got suckered into taking Jewelry Making, but then I made you this! And I was gonna make something to go on it, but then I didn't have enough time because it took me so long to make it good, but it's not really very good, but I spent _forever_ on it, and I can make something to go on it once break is over if you want!"

Axel smiled, examining the chain. "Rox, it's amazing! I can't believe you _made_ this!"

"Let me put it on you!" Roxas exclaimed, grabbing it from Axel's fingers and leaping up from the bed. Axel watched his face closely as he fastened the chain, then reached forward to wrap his arms around the other boy, effectively pulling Roxas between his legs. With Axel sitting on the edge of the bed and Roxas standing, they ended up roughly the same height, and Roxas blushed a little when he realized how close they were.

"I-I'm glad you like it," he stammered, unsure of why Axel was staring at him or where he should put his hands. "The-uh, the last link by the clasp is a little bent, but I-I can fix it once classes start…"

Axel shook his head, smiling. "It's perfect the way it is," he said quietly, placing Roxas's hands on his shoulders as he pulled him even closer.

"A-Ax, what are you doing?"

"Kissing you," he murmured, tilting the blond's chin up toward his own.

_Dear God, he better not push me away this time…_

Panicking, Roxas tried to pull back. "Ax, stop! I-I don't… I don't know… how."

Trying desperately to contain himself, Axel took a deep breath. "It's easy, kid. Just do what I do, ok? You'll just- you'll know what to do once it's happening."

"Don't call me kid! You haven't done that in a-"

Unable to stop himself, Axel pressed his lips hard against Roxas's. He felt the boy tense up beneath his hands, and kissed him again, more gently, before pulling away. Roxas appeared to be frozen in shock for a moment before starting to pout. "Why'd you stop?"

"You gotta kiss back, Rox," he said, laughing as he leaned in for a second try.

This time, Roxas was determined to kiss back, regardless of the fact that he didn't have a clue what to do. He pushed his mouth sloppily against Axel's, unsure of where to put his lips or what to do with his tongue.

Letting out a small yelp of pain, Axel pulled back. "You _bit_ me!" he said, trying not to laugh again as he felt for blood on his lip.

Mortified, Roxas turned a deep shade of red. When he tried to move away, though, he found that Axel would not let go.

"I'm sorry," he mumbled. "I suck. I'm a horrible kisser! You said I'd know what to do, but I didn't."

"Just relax, kid," Axel said, softly running his fingers through Roxas's hair. "Calm down a little, and try not to be so… spastic."

"Stop calling me kid," Roxas said indignantly. "How am I supposed to calm down? Do you even remember what this is like? Were _you_ calm the first time _you _got kissed?"

Axel smiled and shook his head. "I dunno, but I hope I was a little smoother than you." Catching Roxas's glare, he quickly continued. "You're thinking too hard, Rox, just stop trying so hard, ok? Just let go."

"How am I supposed to-"

Axel was not in the mood for further discussion. Instead, he captured Roxas's lips once again with his own, softly running his fingers across the smaller boy's shoulders, chest, and hips. Roxas hesitated for a moment before slowly beginning to kiss back, pushing back when he felt pressure, and wrapping his arms tightly around Axel's neck. Axel let out a small, satisfied sigh before gathering Roxas into his arms and pulling him onto the bed. Propping himself up on his many pillows, Roxas clutched at Axel's shirt and shoulders, parting his lips to allow the redhead's eager tongue entry. A low moan escaped his throat as he felt the older boy's hands slip beneath his shirt, pushing it up to expose Roxas's chest and stomach. A warmth spread over him as Axel settled in on top of him, rolling each nipple between his fingers and pressing his hips against the smaller boy's. All too aware of the dull ache between his legs, Roxas sat up a little, allowing his shirt to be removed. He tugged at Axel's t-shirt until it, too, was discarded, leaving nothing between their upper bodies as Axel hungrily returned to his exploration of Roxas's mouth. The blond whimpered, wrapping his legs around Axel's waist and grinding his hips upward, desperate for the other boy's touch. Axel's attention shifted from Roxas's mouth to further down, and the blond let his head fall back as Axel's lips trailed softly down his neck and chest.

"You know," Axel said, almost whispering as he unbuttoned Roxas's jeans, "Now that you've let me, I've kissed you _almost_ everywhere."

Roxas whimpered and squirmed beneath him, reaching down to unzip his jeans, unsatisfied with Axel's slower pace. Axel laughed quietly, pulling the other boy's pants to his knees and wrapping one gloved hand around the throbbing arousal he had revealed.

"A true blonde," he observed, teasing Roxas with kisses placed along his hipbones.

"Axel, please…" Roxas whined, his hands clutching at the sheets needily.

"Please what?" Axel gently stroked the smaller boy's length, making a mock innocent face.

Roxas let out a small gasp as the older boy touched him. "K-Kiss… me," he said, unable to formulate a longer sentence.

"Kiss you?" Axel smirked, letting go of Roxas's arousal and moving back up to plant a hard kiss on the boy's lips.

"N-no," Roxas whimpered, glaring at the redhead. "Kiss… kiss me… there." Gesturing vaguely downwards, he squirmed again, trying to hold out for Axel without touching himself.

"Where? Here?" Axel asked, dipping his tongue into the other boy's navel. "Here?" he asked again, gently nibbling at his hipbone. "How about here?" he said, smirking as he nipped Roxas's inner thigh.

"Stop teasing," Roxas whined, burying his hands in Axel's hair as he moved closer to his aching need.

"Ohh, you mean you want me to kiss you… here?" Axel met his eyes as he snaked his tongue out of his mouth, finally giving the tip of Roxas's dick a long, slow lick.

An incomprehensible moan escaped from Roxas's throat, his eyes falling closed in pleasure and his hips bucking upward. He gave a vague nod, burying his hands in Axel's hair as the redhead leaned forward to continue his ministrations.

"Stop that," Axel said, frowning as Roxas's hips bucked again. "You're going to choke me if you keep that up."

Roxas simply moaned again, no longer in control. Axel grinned, using one hand to hold the smaller boy's hips to the bed and the other to touch what he couldn't fit in his mouth. Picking up the pace, he sucked and licked harder, working his hand roughly around Roxas's shaft until the boy's moans seemed to be at their most desperate.

Roxas gave a loud groan, and a sigh of relief as he came into Axel's mouth, his entire body tensing for a moment, then relaxing, completely worn out.

Axel swallowed as much as he could, the excess dribbling down onto Roxas. He licked the extra from the other boy's skin, cleaning him up before looking up at his face. Roxas wore an expression of slightly dazed happiness, and utter satisfaction.

After wiping a bead of sweat from Roxas's forehead, Axel sat up and rolled off the bed. "I'm gonna go rinse my mouth out," he said. "There's like a layer of the stuff coating my entire mouth…"

"What does it taste like?" Roxas asked, propping himself up on his elbows.

Axel leaned down and kissed him, allowing Roxas to slip his tongue across his teeth. Roxas made a face. "Yea…. Yea, you definitely want to rinse that out…. Sorry, I didn't know that it would be like that…"

"Hush, you. Enjoy your afterglow. I'll be right back."

Axel turned on the fan as well as the light as he entered the bathroom, and as soon as he had the door closed he grabbed the small trash can from beneath the sink and began to unzip his pants. Taking off his glove with his teeth, he reached down to touch his own need, replaying Roxas's moans in his mind and remembering his face, and his hands, and his hips until he came, almost immediately into the trash can. Deftly covering the evidence with a few well-placed pieces of Kleenex, he zipped up his pants and washed his hands. He swished some water around in his mouth for a moment before spitting it down the drain, and after putting his glove back on, he opened the door back to Roxas's room, buckling his belt as he emerged.

Roxas hadn't moved, save for kicking his pants completely off, into the pile on the floor. As Axel approached the bed, he looked uncomfortable.

"Um… Hey Axel?"

"Yea?"

"Um… well, you know how you just... did that to me?"

Axel nodded, sitting down beside him on the bed.

"I-I'm really sorry. I don't-I can't… I don't think I'm ready to do that, you know, to you… Which I know is really awful since you just had to do it to me, and I should have stopped you if I knew that I wasn't gonna do it for you, because it's not fair to you, but I-"

"Shhh…" Axel pressed a finger to Roxas's lips, quieting him. "I know you, Rox, I don't expect you to be ready for that yet. Consider it my Hannukah present to you, ok? It's totally fine."

"But… but you- I felt it, you were… hard."

"I, uh… took care of it already," Axel said, kissing Roxas's forehead. Smirking, he added: "You can check the trash if you don't believe me."

Roxas laughed, blushing a little, and pulled the sheets over himself. "It's kind of cold, now."

"Roxas? Hey, _ROXAS!_"

A familiar deep voice echoed through the halls, and both Axel and Roxas leapt out of the bed as they saw the doorknob start to rattle back and forth.

"Rox, why is your door locked? Open up in there, Mom wants you to come down and say goodnight to Nana!"

"I-We're just changing into pajamas, and didn't want anyone to come in!" Roxas called, tossing the pile of discarded clothing into his laundry hamper and heading for his dresser. "We'll be down in a minute!"

"_We_? Both of you are changing? Together?"

"Leon, go away, we'll be right down!"

A loud chuckle could be heard through the door before Leon's heavy footsteps retreated down the hall.

"Nice save," Axel said, looking through the dresser drawers as Roxas pulled on a pair of boxers and green plaid pajama pants. "Listen, I forgot to bring clothes to sleep in, can I just wear some of yours tonight?"

Roxas nodded, handing him a pair of boxers with a palm tree print and fishing a white t-shirt out of his drawer. "I dunno if my pants will fit you, you've got slimmer hips than me and longer legs. I'd say just stick with boxers, but if we're gonna go downstairs…" Rifling through his drawer, he finally pulled out a pair of fitted girl's powder blue sweatpants that had been cut off around the knee. "Oh man, I had forgotten about these! They're cut off at a really random length that's like mid-calf on me, so they might be a normal-ish length on you. You're pretty skinny, too, so I think they'll fit on you…"

Looking up, he realized that Axel was giving him a strange look.

"What?" Realizing that it might be odd to have a random pair of cut-off girl's sweatpants in his drawer, he continued: "Oh, they're not mine, I-they're an old friend's, and we used to joke around that we could wear each other's clothes because we were the same size, and so we traded pants one day, and then they were girly so we cut them off so they'd be less girly, and then we both got older and I can't fit in them any more, not that I would want to anyway, but I didn't want to throw them out because it was from Namine, and…"

"Namine? That girl that stood you up?"

Roxas nodded. "It's a long story. We used to be really good friends."

Axel leaned against the dresser. "I've got time. Tell."

"It's not an interesting story. Let's just get dressed and go-"

"Rox, I just sucked you off. Be nice and tell me the story."

Roxas sighed. "Ok, I'll try to summarize and make this short. Basically, when I was a little younger, I was really good friends with these girls: Namine, Kairi, Rikku, and Yuffie. They're all really sweet, and I was like… the token guy in the group, and we hung out all the time. I was always closest with Namine, though, and so when she realized she liked girls and had a crush on Kairi, she told me and no one else. I was totally cool with it and everything was fine, and so when I realized that I liked guys, I naturally told her first. Unfortunately, I was totally oblivious to the fact that both Kairi and Yuffie were secretly, like, duking it out over me, but then Yuffie got over me because her attention span is just _way_ too short to spend any real amount of time upset over a guy, and then they all found out I was gay, and then Kairi was secretly using her crush on me to cover up that she liked Namine, and long story short, Kairi and Namine ended up as a couple and Rikku and Yuffie have like, identically excited personalities so they were cool with it, but then we just got a little older and I drifted away from the group, because even though they're all great girls and I love them, Namine was spending all her time with Kairi and I never got to hang out with just her like we used to and so now we're not really friends anymore and it's not a big deal but I was excited to see Namine that one day, and then she stood me up, and now I'm pissed at her, and she keeps trying to call me but I don't even really want to talk to her. Because she probably stood me up to go fuck Kairi, because she likes Kairi better than me."

Axel nodded slowly, taking in the sudden barrage of information. "Whoah."

"But I don't even care!" Roxas said defiantly, his tone of voice betraying his declaration of non-caring, "Because I have you, and I have friends from classes at school, and I don't need her anyway."

Axel raised his eyebrows. "You don't care, sure," he said, pulling on the t-shirt and boxers. "You should answer the phone sometime and see what she has to say. It sounds like you miss her."

Roxas sighed. "Ok, so maybe I miss her. Maybe. A little bit. Either way, put on the pants and see if they fit, they were always really soft and comfy when I used to wear them to sleep, so hopefully they'll be alright."

Axel unfolded the pants and pulled them on. While they were a little tight, if he wore them low enough they didn't constrict him too much, and they came right down to his knees. "They _are_ soft," he said, marveling at the difference between girl sweatpants and guy sweatpants.

Roxas studied the pants on him for a moment, before pronouncing them acceptable and dragging Axel downstairs to say goodnight to Nana and the rest of his relatives. By the time they made it back upstairs, it was late, and they were both tired.

Axel got settled in bed while Roxas turned the lights off, and for a moment he couldn't see a thing while his eyes adjusted. Feeling movement beside him, he felt a rush of warm air as Roxas moved to lie down, and the fruity smell of the blond's shampoo filled his nose. A warm lump slowly became visible curled up against his chest, and Axel wrapped his arms around Roxas before finally closing his eyes.

As Roxas drifted off to sleep, one last thought flitted through his mind:

_Best Hannukah EVER._

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AN: So the original plan for Hannukah being contained in one chapter went down the drain, but I think the three chapter Hannukah interlude turned out pretty decently, yes? Yay for Roxas having backstory and fruity shampoo! Please let me know what you thought (Read: Review!), but even if you haven't got the time, the interest, or the internet connection to review, thank you **so much** for reading! Although you get extra hugs, cookies, and maybe even rainbows if you review (no joke! rainbows!)

Also, breaking 100 reviews on Chapter 9 pretty much made my month. You guys are the best. XD

Chapter 11: Expect some angst. Hey, it had to happen sometime. No worries though, as with the RikuAxel escapade, it lives for the sake of plot progression, yes? Yes. XD


	11. Merry Christmas!

Disclaimer: Kingdom Hearts does not belong to me!

AN: Eep. Prepare for angst. It had to happen sometime! No worries though, next chapter will come pretty soon! Also, Demyx! Thanks so much for the reviews!

**Memaisakuna - **I am THRILLED that you want to do fanart! Whoah! You should totally do it, and then post it up online somewhere or email it to me or something! I am really excited now. Thank you so much! Whoah!  
**Trekiael - **I'm not sure if there will be more (as in, different) yuri, but the girls will show up more (it wasn't just backstory for the sake of pants, it does exist for a reason)! Thanks for reviewing and for giving me the suggestion in the first place! XD

**AN: So this chapter is a bit longer than usual, but I think it's a good thing. Fun times! Demyx! Teen angst and some vague cheesy fluff. To everyone who read, reviewed, or added to faves/alerts, thank you SO MUCH! You have no idea how much I appreciate it! Enjoy the chapter!**

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_Beep. Beep. Beep._

Axel resisted the urge to crush his alarm clock into oblivion, letting his blankets fall off of him as he sat up in bed. Shivering, he hugged himself as he headed into the bathroom, escaping the freezing cold into a hot shower.

_The heater must be broken again…_

He scrubbed himself down quickly and reluctantly climbed back out, wrapping a thin towel around his waist and padding back into his room to get dressed. He turned on the radio as he dried himself off, his teeth chattering as he located a pair of dark jeans and the white t-shirt he had borrowed from Roxas. As he searched for a sweatshirt, he counted the number of times the man on the radio wished him a Merry Christmas.

_Four times in one minute… What is wrong with this guy? _

Having finally found a navy blue sweatshirt, he zipped it up about halfway and grabbed a small envelope marked "Merry Christmas Mom!" from his nightstand before heading into the kitchen. He grabbed two red apples – the last of the food he had bought with Demyx's money, and slipped on his shoes, locking the front door behind him as he trudged through the snow to his car. Taking a bite from one of the apples, he tried a few times to get Nadia to start in the cold before finally succeeding.

He took another bite and sighed, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes as he prepared himself for the long drive he had ahead of him.

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Sora knocked softly on the door in front of him, although he wasn't sure why he didn't just bang on it – after all, the whole point of going in there was to wake Riku up.

"Riku? You up yet?"

No reply. Sora tried knocking again. "Riku?"

"He's obviously not awake," Roxas snapped, pushing his brother out of the way and opening the door to Riku's room. "See?"

The room was darkened, though it was almost noon, and Riku lay sprawled out amongst a nest of blankets in his bed.

"But it's Christmas!" Sora said, shaking his head in disbelief. "You'd think he'd wake up _early_, you know?"

Roxas sighed as they approached the bed. "_We _didn't wake up early."

"But he _celebrates_ Christmas," Sora replied, climbing onto the bed beside the sleeping Riku. "I guess I'll try to wake him up… I feel bad, though. He's so cute this way!"

Roxas rolled his eyes. "Come on, or I will."

Sighing, Sora tentatively reached out to shake Riku's shoulder. "Wake up, Ri, it's almost noon. Riku. _Riku!_"

Riku gave a small groan and rolled over onto his back, exposing his somehow still summer-tanned chest. Roxas raised his eyebrows, mentally comparing the tan, muscular body in front of him to the skinny, pale one he usually saw. Shaking himself out of it, he felt a pang of guilt for even thinking that and pointedly looked away, thinking instead of Axel's megawatt smile and long, comforting arms. And those perpetually hot hands… his fingers were long and spindly, but they always felt so soft against Roxas's skin… Roxas jumped as he realized he was being spoken to.

"What are _you _doing here?"

Riku had finally sat up, and was shooting Roxas a glare as he played with Sora's hair.

Shooting back an equally frustrated look, Roxas replied. "We _both_ came to make sure you were awake, since Sora said you wanted to take a shower before we go out to lunch. And if you don't hurry up and get up, we won't have _time_ to go out for lunch before we meet up with Axel!"

Riku sighed and dragged himself out of bed. "You're right… I better shower." He paused for a moment after grabbing a towel, then took Sora's arm and pulled him into the hall alongside him. "You're coming with, though!"

Roxas rolled his eyes, taking a seat on Riku's bed. "I'll just wait here…"

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Axel took a deep breath and smoothed out his sweatshirt before following the guard through the door. He looked around the room upon entering it – tables were spread out, a few people at each one talking quietly, and some meager, extremely out of place Christmas decorations were hung around the walls. Armed guards stood at each door, and as Axel took a seat at an empty table, one of them turned to usher in a tall, brown-haired woman. Fidgeting uncomfortably with his envelope, he waited for his mother to notice him before standing up to greet her.

"Axel? Is that you? Look up, honey, I can't see your face when you stare at the ground like that!"

Axel looked up, his mother now standing in front of him. It had been a few months since he had last come to visit her – gas was expensive, and it was a long drive out to the prison. He frowned for a moment, watching her concerned expression, before his face split into a wide grin. "Mom!" he cried, wrapping his arms around her and burying his face in her shoulder.

Laughing in relief, she gave him a light smack on the head before hugging him back.

"Don't scare me like that," she scolded, squeezing him tightly to her. "Oh, I've missed you so much, babe!"

"I missed you too," Axel said, sitting down in one of the hard, plastic chairs. "Merry Christmas!"

Axel's mom nodded, taking the seat beside him and placing a small, wrapped present on the table in front of her. "I've got something for you," she said, gesturing to the present.

Axel handed her the envelope. "This is for you, too. I mean, I didn't have any extra money, so I couldn't buy you anything, but you're always asking me for pictures and stuff, so…"

Opening the envelope, Axel's mom smiled. "You don't have to buy me things, Ax… Oh! Wow, who _are_ all these people?"

Axel leaned over, spreading the photographs out on the table. "That's me and Demyx, remember him?"

"Of course I remember Demyx! I haven't been gone _that_ long! He looks so grown up! I always picture him the way he looked when you two were 13, always running around together…"

Axel laughed, scooting another picture to the front. "This is, um, well, do you remember Sora and Riku from when we were younger? They were both in my classes for like, all of elementary school and part of middle school…And I've sort of become friends with them again, this is from a few weeks ago, actually. Riku's almost as tall as me."

Smiling at the pictures, Axel's mom nodded. "Sora was the clumsiest kid, I remember he knocked over one of your science projects in something like 2nd grade and he was more upset about it than you were! Riku I don't remember so much. His face looks familiar, though. God, how tall _are_ you now, anyway?"

Axel shrugged. "6'3", I think… Or I was a few months ago. I dunno. Either way, I'm taller than Riku. Let's see… Oh, this is Roxas, he's my, um… he's… Sora's little brother…"

Giving him a knowing look remarkably like the one Leon had given him at Hannukah, Axel's mom held up the photo. "He's your what?"

Blushing, Axel looked down. "It's not a big deal, Mom, we're just sort of… you know…"

"Well, you look awfully cozy in this picture," she said, ruffling Axel's hair. Axel studied the picture for a moment – it was one that Riku had taken. Roxas looked surprised but appeared to be laughing, and Axel was hugging him tightly from behind, his head propped on the smaller boy's shoulder, a cigarette balanced between two of his fingers, and an expression of uninhibited happiness slapped across his face. For the life of him, he couldn't figure out why he had chosen that one to show his mom, as it seemed like a rather dumb idea now.

"I just really like that picture," he said softly, fidgeting with his gloves.

"So he's your boyfriend?"

Axel mumbled an incomprehensible reply, looking away but smiling. In an attempt to change the subject, he grabbed the present from beside his mom. "Can I open this, then?"

She looked a bit nervous but nodded. "Go ahead, I… I think you'll be happy."

Axel ripped off the wrapping paper, pulling out a slightly raggedy stuffed tiger with a row of neat stitching down its middle.

"I-Ichigo? How…How did you…?"

Axel ran his fingers over the row of the stitches, then turned to look at his mother, holding onto the tiger tightly.

"They needed him as evidence, you know, for the trial… And then, I asked them if I could have him back, but they didn't get back to me for a long time, and finally I managed to get a hold of him… So I fixed him up for you. I hope you aren't too grown up for him…"

Axel was silent, alternating between staring at the table and the stuffed tiger.

Axel's mom continued, placing her hand on her son's. "I just remembered how you used to take him everywhere… It was always so cute, you know? People were always telling me you were like a little real-live redheaded Calvin and Hobbes." Sighing, she went on. "Ax, I guess I just thought… I thought that, well, I accidentally hurt Ichigo, you know, and so I sewed him back up and fixed him up good as new. And I thought that maybe, giving him back to you… I… I got a message from the principal of your school, Axel, and I mean, I knew you were repeating junior year again, of course, but I didn't know how bad it was. On the one hand, I wanted to have the 'Good Mother' reaction, and get angry at you, but I realized… I know- I know that it's my fault. And I just was sad. Sad that you didn't talk to me about this stuff, you know? I-I know that I hurt you, Ax, but you know that was never my intention, and I'm just, I'm so sorry. I thought maybe giving you Ichigo back could help to, I dunno, show that."

Axel pulled his hand away, shaking. "You never asked, Mom."

"Axel, I always ask how you're doing, I _always_ ask, every time I write you a letter, and you always send me these letters like things are just chugging along, and I just- I can't believe you wouldn't _tell _me if something was so wrong that you're-you're going to school _drunk_, and failing all of your classes for the third year straight!"

"Don't start with that, ok? You knew something was wrong, you had to have known."

"Axel-"

"Did you know," he choked out, his voice breaking, "Did you know, Mom, that when you used to leave and work all night, and get home at 4 or 5 in the morning, did you know I couldn't sleep? Do you know what I did, Mom? Do you? I stayed up and just-just huddled in my blankets with-with Ichigo, and I'd hear a noise, a creak, the wind, _anything_, and I'd think it was someone robbing us, or someone coming to get me or something! Did you know that? I'd stay up and then when I finally would hear you come in, when I'd hear the door open, I'd creep out and look around the corner until I was sure it was you, and then I'd run back into my room and pretend to be asleep when you came to check on me."

A short silence ensued before Axel spoke again.

"That's how I figured out how to make fire. I bet you didn't know where I got that from, huh? Well I figured out that if I was mad enough, or crabby enough from being tired, or frustrated enough, or-or scared enough, I could make my hands hot enough to light up."

"Axel, you were born that way. You've needed gloves since you were 3."

"Oh, I know, I've always been this way. My hands have always been hot, but not hot enough to light. Not always. I figured that one out on my own. Now I can do it anytime I damn well please, did you know that, Mom? I could do it right now! I could just burn this table to smithereens!"

Axel was shaking even more now, and he started to laugh, grinning at his mother. "Isn't that great, Mom? Isn't it just great?"

"Axel, calm down…"

"I'm plenty calm!" he cried, throwing his hands into the air.

"What are you getting at, Axel?"

"What am I getting at?" he repeated, looking her straight in the eye. "What am I _getting_ at? I dunno, Mom, what _am_ I getting at? I have no fucking idea! I hate being alone, that's what I'm getting at! I always did! But when you were gone, I had this-this stupid little stuffed _tiger_, and then when you had to go, when you had to go away for a while to come _here_, it couldn't have just been 'Mom got arrested', it had to take- it had to take _Ichigo_ too, so I was not only parentless but-but _tigerless_, and you know, Cheb didn't even send me money this month. _Demyx_ had to give me money. Speaking of which, you know how he makes money? Demyx sells drugs, Mom! I bet you didn't know that either! Doesn't that make you proud? Maybe he learned it from you! Tell me, did you teach him the tricks of the trade sometime while I was in the shower or something?"

"_Stop it_!" Axel's mom looked furious, gripping his shoulder tightly. "How _dare _you say something like that to me? Tell _me_ something, Axel, do you know _why_ I was dealing? So I could pay for _your school books_, so you wouldn't have to deal with all the things _I _had to deal with. And I'm _sorry_, alright? I'm so sorry, and I know now that I never should have done it, but I _had no choice_. And I'm _sorry_ that Cheb didn't send you money, and I'm sorry you had to get it from Demyx, and I'm sorry that he turned out to be doing something so stupid, because he was such a sweet kid. But mostly, I'm sorry that I hurt you, I'm sorry that I left you alone, and that you can't sleep at night-"

"I can sleep," Axel snapped, having calmed down a little bit. "It was just when I was younger. I got used to it. I don't like it, I still hate it, but I had gotten used to being alone and I was ok, but now I have these friends, and-and Roxas, and I'm not alone all the time, but now when I am, I feel it. I feel it more and more like I used to, and I hate it. He only sells weed, incidentally. Not plural drugs, just-just the one kind…"

The two sat silently for a moment, and Axel finally noticed that he was shaking. He pulled his last cigarette from his pocket and lit it up to calm his nerves. "Sorry I yelled at you," he mumbled, staring again at the stuffed tiger on the table. "It was really nice of you to fix up Ichigo like that. And I understand why you did it. All of the reasons why you did it."

"Merry Christmas," she said quietly, fidgeting with one of the pictures on the table.

Axel sat silently and smoked, watching the other people in the room, who all seemed significantly happier than him. _What a shitty Christmas_… Glancing at his watch, he looked up at his mom.

"I should go, Mom, I-I have some plans with friends for later today, and it's gonna take me about an hour and a half to get home…"

She nodded and stood up, pulling Axel into her arms again and holding him tightly for what seemed like much longer than it actually could have been.

"I love you, Axel."

Axel stepped back and nodded. "I love you too, Mom. I hope you have a good Christmas. You can keep the pictures if you want. I have doubles."

"I will, then, thanks. That way when I get letters from you, I'll have faces to put with the names."

"I'll write soon."

"You always do…"

Picking up Ichigo, Axel headed for the door. "I'll see you in a couple months, then… Probably February at the soonest… Gas is expensive these days."

She smiled sadly and hugged him again, then gave him a light kiss on the forehead and said goodbye.

Axel walked slowly to the car, wanting to go back as soon as he had left the building. He wanted to apologize, and pretend he hadn't gotten mad, he wanted to have normal parents, and a mom that lived with him. He dropped Ichigo into the passenger's seat and started the car, shivering.

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Demyx checked his watch as he strode purposefully toward the apartment complex. 1:00, that meant that Axel _might_ be there…

_Yes!_

Nadia was there, parked worse than usual outside Axel's apartment. Demyx heard music as he approached the door, and as he reached out to knock, he heard a loud crash from within, followed by manic laughter he recognized as Wasted Axel Laughter.

"Ax? You okay in there?" he called, trying the doorknob but finding it locked.

There was a short moment of silence before Demyx heard a scrambling noise and the door was wrenched open from inside.

"Demyx? Hi! Hi Demyx!"

Axel's eyes were red and bloodshot, he reeked of weed, and he held an almost-empty bottle of tequila in one hand as he swayed gently in the doorway. Frank Sinatra was blasting from a beat-up CD player in the kitchen.

"I just thought I'd drop by to wish my favorite flamer a Merry Christmas, but you seem to be awfully merry already," Demyx said, pushing his way inside and closing the door behind him. "It's kind of ironic, I brought you some weed, but you're already stoned, so I'll just have to keep it!"

"_What_?" Axel cried, gripping the blond's shoulders. "What? Wha-no! Give it to me, man! I-this is wearing off already, I been home like, a-a… uh…uh…" Breaking into a fit of giggles, he collapsed against the wall, pulling Demyx to the floor with him. "This is so fun, I'm so fun…" he mumbled, taking a large swig of tequila.

Demyx sighed and pulled out a small bag of pot, pushing it into Axel's sweatshirt pocket. "Save it for later, ok? I think you're pretty far gone right now as it is."

"No I'm not!" Axel said loudly, glaring at Demyx from his slumped position against the wall. "I'm not gone. I'm here. I'm all here."

Demyx snorted, sitting down in front of him. "Man, you're trashed. What's wrong with you, anyway? You know better than to get this wasted alone."

"I'm not _wasted_," Axel said, sloshing tequila on his shirt as he tried to take another drink. "My _mother_ is a _crackwhore_! Isn't that funny, Dem? Isn't it really funny?"

"Ahh, so that's what this is about. Did you go to see her today?" Demyx looked sympathetic, pulling the now empty tequila bottle out of his friend's hand.

Axel stared vaguely past him, appearing deep in thought. "Remember when we had sleepovers in like, 5th grade, and she would leave? And then come back at like 5? You know what she did? She went and had sex. She had sex with people. And sold them drugs. And then had more sex."

Demyx nodded. "I know, Ax." Shivering, he tried to change the subject. "It's freezing in here, is the heater broken again or something?"

Axel simply smiled, dazed. "Lemme go get the um, the… lemme-I-stay here!" he said, pushing Demyx against the wall and stumbling into his bedroom. Demyx sat down on the couch, fiddling with the zipper on his coat until Axel crashed back around the corner, already smoking a joint he had made with the pot Demyx had given him. The redhead lay down on the couch, resting his head in Demyx's lap, and sucked in the smoke, holding it in as long as he could before blowing it up into the blond's face. Demyx idly ran his fingers through Axel's hair, glad he had shown up. Axel sat still for a moment, his eyes falling closed, then sprung up and dashed to kitchen, tripping over his feet as he switched the CD in the player. He pressed a few buttons, then traipsed back over to the couch and collapsed into Demyx's arms as MSI's "Bring The Pain" started. He curled up in the blond's lap, resting his head on his friend's shoulder as he took another hit.

"Remember this song?" he asked, leaning back to try to focus his eyes on Demyx's face. "We used to listen to this when we'd get stoned."

Demyx laughed, hugging Axel's head back against his shoulder. "First of all, it wasn't 'us' getting stoned, it was me watching you do stupid shit while you were stoned. Second, we listened to Jimi Hendrix when we did that. We listened to _this_ when we used to fuck."

"Oh," Axel said, snuggling into the familiar, warm arms. "Right."

A loud buzzing noise suddenly sounded behind Demyx. Turning his head, he noticed Axel's cell phone vibrating on the table behind the couch. When Axel made no move, he sighed and reached back, pressing the talk button as he held it to his ear.

Before he could speak, a voice started from the other end. "Axel? Ax, did you pick up? My phone is being really dumb and there's a bunch of static, but um, we're probably gonna be late, Riku and Sora took _forever_ in the shower, and now we're stuck in traffic, so it's gonna take us at least half an hour to get to the mall-"

"Whoah, whoah, hang on a second!" Demyx said, trying to cut off the fast-talking boy. "Listen, Axel's totally wasted, I dunno who this is, but he's definitely not headed for the mall right now."

"What? Who is this? Is he ok?"

"He'll be fine," Demyx said, holding up his arm so Axel could get up. The redhead had decided he was too hot, and was taking his clothes off, much to Demyx's chagrin. It was freezing in the apartment, and he didn't want Axel to get sick. "He just does this sometimes when he's upset. It's ok though, I'll take care of him. I'll let him fuck me and then wait around 'till he sobers up a little, and he'll be fine. That usually works pretty good. Believe me, I know the kid like the back of my hand."

"I-wha-_excuse me?_ Who _is this_?" the voice sputtered, starting to sound angry.

"Demyx. Wait, who are _you_?"

"Roxas, his _boyfriend_," the voice said indignantly.

"Oh! Oh my God, I'm so sorry!" Demyx yelped, watching out of the corner of his eye as Axel danced to the music in his boxers, pounding his fist against the wall to the beat of the song. "Listen, I didn't mean it – about fucking him, I-I totally didn't know you were actually together, the last time I talked to him he just wanted to ask you out, but I- I haven't fucked him since like, last year, before he even knew you, I promise, I-"

"It's-it's ok, I believe you," Roxas said, sounding hurried to get off the phone. "Listen, I-I think we should go over there, are you at his apartment? Can you tell me where it is? I've… I've never been there."

"Yea, it's-_Shit, Axel!_" Demyx dropped the phone as he leapt to his feet. Axel had tripped while dancing and was sprawled on the floor laughing, his shoulder bleeding where it had scraped against the table on his way down. Demyx pulled him into a sitting position and propped him against the wall again, reaching for the phone. Unfortunately, the battery had broken off the phone when it had hit the ground, and Demyx couldn't figure out how to get it back on. He sighed and headed for the bathroom, grabbing a towel to wrap around Axel's shoulder. Sitting down beside him, he tied the towel on firmly and tried to give Axel a stern look that ended up making him laugh.

"Demyx."

"Mmhmm?"

Axel crawled into his lap again and closed his eyes. "Take care of me."

"I always have, haven't I?"

Axel responded only by snuggling closer to him, and the two stayed that way on the floor for a few minutes before a knock came at the door.

"Come on in, it's unlocked!" Demyx called, unable to get out from under the half-conscious lump of Axel in his lap.

The blond boy from the pictures entered first, followed by Sora and Riku, who Demyx knew from school. He waved weakly from his spot on the floor, trying to ignore the death glare Roxas was giving him.

"What did you _do_ to him?" Roxas snapped, kneeling angrily beside them and pushing Axel's hair out of his eyes to see his face. "His eyes are closed! Is he awake? Is he okay?"

"Back off, why don't you? He was already faded when I got here, I just took care of him, like any friend would. And yes, his eyes are closed. No, I don't think he's awake anymore, and yes, he will be okay."

Roxas said nothing, but continued to glare at the other blond, pulling Axel off of his lap and propping him against the wall. "Axel… Wake up, Ax." Noticing the towel wrapped around his shoulder, he shot a questioning look at Demyx. "What's this?"

"He scraped his shoulder," Demyx said, cold again now that Axel was gone from his lap. "Listen, you have to understand, I'm not trying to steal him from you or anything. I've been friends with him for as long as I can remember. Hell, I was the one who told him to ask you out! So just-just leave your negativity at the door! Or… since you've already brought it in, make it go back outside…" He trailed off, unsure of where he was going with this.

"It's ok, I know," Roxas said sullenly, gently untying to the towel to see the large scrape. Grimacing, he retied it and stood up to look around. Sora and Riku were leaning awkwardly on the table by the couch, and Demyx was looking at his watch.

"Listen," Demyx said, "It's almost 2:00 now, and if you guys are gonna be here with Axel, I-I should probably get out of here. I've got some stuff to do, and if there was no one else, I would stay here with him, but I mean, there are three of you guys, so…"

Roxas nodded. "Thanks for making sure he was okay," he said quietly, examining his filthy surroundings and wondering vaguely why the vulgar song he heard seemed to be on repeat. He sniffed the air a few times, then added: "Was he… smoking pot?"

Demyx looked over his shoulder from the doorway. "Not excessively, but yes. And he had an empty bottle of tequila. He didn't drink the whole thing today, though, or he'd be throwing up by now… Just stay with him, okay? If you need to leave, give me a call, Sora's probably got my number, and I'll come back. But don't leave him alone. He needs to not be alone."

Roxas nodded. "See you," he said. The door closed behind Demyx, and he sighed, looking at Sora and Riku. "If you guys want to go to the mall, it's fine. I'll call you when I can leave."

Sora shook his head and smiled. "Rox, we're not gonna leave you here. Plus, Axel's our friend, too." Turning the music off, he looked around for something to do.

"This place is disgusting, though," Riku said, eyeing the ratty couch and the trash on the floor. "He should really take better care of it…"

"I know!" Sora exclaimed, excited to have come up with something useful to do. "Riku, you and me can clean up and stuff! Like, taking out the trash and-and doing laundry and stuff. And we can make it all nice, and then when Axel wakes up, he won't feel so bad anymore, because his apartment won't be as nasty."

Grumbling, Riku allowed himself to be dragged into Axel's room, where Sora decided they should start their project.

Roxas looked around again, locating a small, dusty space heater in the corner of the room which he plugged in and turned on. It made a few clunking noises, but seemed to be giving off heat soon enough, and he pulled Axel's sleeping form over beside it, resting the older boy's head on a cushion from the couch. He reached for another couch cushion for himself, but his hand found a small stuffed tiger instead. Sitting down next to Axel, he turned the tiger over in his hands, running his fingers along a line of stitches down its front.

"When they heard she had it, they came to search our house."

Roxas's head snapped up – Axel's eyes were slightly open and he was staring intently at the tiger in his hands.

"They were searching everywhere, and their stupid dog wouldn't leave me alone, and they realized-they realized it was Ichigo the dog wanted, not me… So they…they…" Axel's face contorted a bit, he seemed to be trying not to cry. Roxas set the tiger in his lap and reached for Axel instead, helping him sit up.

"Ax, it's ok to cry," he said softly, scooting closer.

Axel shook his head. "I don't want to. It's weak. And every time I've been weak, something bad has happened. So I'm not gonna be stupid enough to be weak again."

"I won't let anything bad happen."

"You're lying!"

"I'm not!"

"Just leave it alone, it doesn't matter anyway."

"Ax, it'll never get better if you don't. Whatever's bothering you, the bad stuff, it won't go away until you let yourself feel all of it, not just the mad part, but the sad part, and the scared part, and the crying part, and then it'll go away, it'll get easier, because you already felt all the bad stuff there was to feel and-and you'll be okay. And in the meantime, while you're being sad and scared and mad, I'll be here, and I won't leave, and I won't let anything else bad happen, I promise. I promise!"

Axel was silent for a moment. He slowly took Ichigo from Roxas's lap, staring hard at him before speaking again in a choked voice. "They took a _knife_, and they ripped him open, and that…"

He scrunched his eyes closed, taking a deep breath. Roxas reached out to him, softly touching his face until Axel opened his eyes, still red and bloodshot, a tear leaking out of the corner of one. Roxas leaned forward, gently kissing away the tear, prompting Axel to finally breathe, more tears flowing freely from his eyes now. Roxas tried to kiss each one away, but there were too many, so he resorted simply to wiping them away with his hands, kissing Axel's dry lips over and over instead. After a minute, the tears began to slow again, and the two boys sat silently, Axel still shaking and Roxas holding tightly to his hands.

"That was where they found it," Axel said, finally. "They found a big ol' bag of crack in my stuffed tiger. My mom, she put it there to hide it, because she didn't think anyone would find it there. But they did, and she wasn't home when they came to search the house, and I was all alone, and they just ripped him open and I couldn't believe it, I couldn't believe she would do that, but she did…"

"Ax, I'm so sorry…"

Axel stood up abruptly, still wobbly and pretty drunk. "I'm freezing," he said. "Where are my clothes? Why are my clothes gone?"

Roxas shrugged. "I was gonna ask the same thing," he said. Standing up, he took Axel's hand and led him back to his bedroom. Sora and Riku were carrying on cheerful conversation as they cleaned, the pile of laundry significantly smaller than it had been, and the rest of the room looked conspicuously tidy. Axel was practically passed out again as they approached the bed, and Roxas gave Sora an encouraging smile as he pulled the blankets aside for Axel to lie down. Riku gave Sora a look, signaling that they should leave the room.

"Rox, come in the blankets… I'm so cold…"

Roxas smiled, spreading a large quilt that had been folded up across the bed. "I'm gonna help Sora and Riku clean up, alright? You need to sleep this off. Look, you're already practically asleep. Don't worry, though, we're not going anywhere. When you wake up, just come and get me from the other room, alright? I'm here."

Axel nodded, his eyes falling closed as he curled up beneath the blankets.

"I'm here," Roxas said again, running his hands through Axel's bright red spikes. Leaning down to kiss the older boy's forehead, he whispered: "I love you, Ax," before leaving the room. He didn't expect a reply, he knew the redhead was already fast asleep.

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**AN: Eep, so yea, cheesiness, fluff, angst. But how fun would a story be without teen angst and cheesy fluff? NOT VERY! I hope you guys liked it well enough, and I plan to get the next chapter up pretty soon. Thanks so much for reading, and please review! (Eee!) Thanks again!**


	12. With Love From Slutface

Disclaimer: Kingdom Hearts does not belong to me!  
AN: Yay for backstory! Alright! Yes! Ok, so when I posted up the last chapter, something strange was going on with my email alerts (was this happening for you guys too? I posted it sometime last week, and I just got the Carbon Copy alert, well... yesterday. Or the day before.) Either way, hopefully it will work right this time! I missed logging into my hotmail account and having 20 emails from the fanfiction bot (waaahhhh, oh well. I got more homework done, as it were...) My day was, shall we say, not made. Then they fixed the alerts and I got 14 of said emails, thus making up for the past few un-made days by one extra-made day. XD

**Thank you all for reading, reviewing, alerting, or faving, or pretty much just being all around cool beans. Random side note: Every once in a while I get a review seeming to think the story is ending with whatever chapter it is - don't worry! The story is not ending yet! There is plot to be had, I promise it will appear! When it is nearing the end, I will mention something. How could the story end with so many loose ends - Axel and Riku hooked up, Axel is in danger of dropping out, Roxas has lesbian friends just waiting to appear in person... Eee, now I'm excited all over again! XD **

**Annnnnyways, hope you guys enjoy the chapter. Next one should be up fairly soon. Thanks again! **

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"Beer and ketchup."

Riku leaned back against the counter and let the fridge close on its own, raising his eyebrows at Sora. "No wonder he's so damn skinny, if that's all he has to eat."

Sora sighed. "This is a bigger job than I thought…"

A loud beeping noise alerted the boys that the first load of laundry they had put in was done, and Sora headed for the laundry closet, narrowly missing Roxas as he came out of Axel's room.

Closing the door quietly behind him, Roxas peered around the corner into the kitchen, where Riku was now putting a new bag in the trash can.

"How's the cleaning going? Can I help you guys with anything?"

"Well," said Riku, "It's going alright. Sora's got the laundry covered, which was most of the mess in Axel's room, although his desk looks like it was hit by a nuclear bomb… Then there's the bathroom, which, well, let's just say I don't think those tiles were originally green. That's pretty much it, other than this front room, which is kind of a disaster, and the kitchen is clean because it's completely empty. Check out his food supply."

Roxas opened the fridge, sighed, and let it close. "I see."

"So I'm thinking that maybe once Sora's got the next load of laundry in, we could head out to a grocery store and pick up some food for him, and you could get started on the whole living room/kitchen area while we're gone," Riku said, gesturing to the area around him. "It shouldn't take us too long to get food, and I figure you probably want to stay here, right?"

"You and Sora stocking Axel's fridge sounds like a disaster waiting to happen," Roxas said, smiling at the thought of a fridge full of kimchi and fried tofu.

"What, it's not like he's a particularly picky eater," Riku replied, shrugging. "We'd just get normal food."

"No kimchi."

"What's wrong with kimchi? I love kimchi!" Riku looked vaguely offended.

"Axel hates kimchi. I'm trying to think if there's anything else you should desperately avoid... I guess that's it. Just don't get a bunch of food that _you _love that no one else likes, ok? It'd just be a waste."

"God, Roxas, _I'm_ not the one you have to say that to. If it was just Sora going, _then_ maybe it'd be a good warning…" Riku rolled his eyes and got up off the counter as Sora rounded the corner with a full basket of clean laundry. "Sora, we're gonna pick up some food. Roxas can put the clothes away, right?"

Roxas nodded, taking the basket from his brother's hands. "Have fun, you guys."

The door slammed shut behind them, and Roxas quietly took the laundry basket into Axel's room to put the clothes away. Axel was sleeping soundly underneath his blankets, and the sunlight filtering through the window was enough light for Roxas to work with. Setting the basket down in front of Axel's dresser, he knelt down alongside it and shivering, pulled one of Axel's hoodies from the clean laundry. It was black and clearly well-worn, and it was still warm from the dryer as Roxas pulled it over his head. The arms were too long on him, and the ends of them flopped around until he pushed his hands through, bunching them up at his wrists so he could effectively use his fingers to fold the rest of the laundry. He smiled as he folded, listening for the occasional cute noises that Axel made in his sleep and looking around at the mess.

When he finally finished, he stood up to get a closer look at the seemingly tornado-stricken pile of, well, _stuff_ on Axel's desk. A lot of it was pictures, old papers from school, movie stubs, soda cans, beer cans, just plain trash… Laying on top, however, Roxas noticed a few yearbooks which, upon further examination, revealed themselves to all be open to pictures of Roxas.

_My 6th grade class… This one's 7th… 8th… He's got out all his old yearbooks…_

Noticing writing by his 6th grade picture, he pulled the yearbook closer to read it. His face was circled, with the letters "WTF" scrawled beside it. Roxas groaned. That was the year he had had a buzz cut for school pictures – the picture looked nothing like him now.

_Let's see… if I was in 6th grade, he would be in… 7th? 8th? _

Flipping through the later grades, he finally located Axel's name at the bottom of the 8th grade class picture. _Back row, 3rd from the left…_

Roxas snorted as he found Axel in the picture. One arm was thrown around a shy-looking teacher's aide, the other was giving a thumbs-up beside a fake excited grin. Out of sheer curiosity, he flipped to the very end, looking to see what people had written. Spotting the name "Demyx", he began to read a messy yearbook message written in pink pen.

_Ax Ax AX(hoe-bag) you are my sunshine. ok that was lame. i cant believe you skipped my grade you smartass now well never have classes together EVER AGAIN. fuck you bitch! Just kidding u know I lurrrvs you babe. Have fun in HIGH SCHOOL a YEAR BEFORE ME and uhhh I hope you think of me when your fucking hot HISCHOOL boyzzz. bitch! I loves u Ax PARTY LIKE A ROCKSTAR_

_Xoxoxo slutface (demyx)_

_ps: like omg keep in touch this summerrrr! bcus i don't see u like every day…seriously tho every single girl who has sined your yearbook has wrote that KIT or HAGS or some crap... bitch your taking too long to sign my yearbook so im stalling. Ummmmmmmmmm lets stay fuck buddies, k? k. OMG YOUR FINALLY DONE OK BYE from slutface. Even tho i already wrote that._

Roxas sighed, attempting to not feel loser-ish for still being a virgin when Axel had a fuck buddy in 8th grade, and trying desperately not to feel jealous of Demyx for having cute, affectionate nicknames like "slutface" and "hoe-bag" with Axel when all he had was "Rox" and maybe "kid." From across the room, Axel made a small sleepy noise and turned over, uncurling his body to lay on his back and pushing one of the blankets off in his sleep. Only momentarily distracted, Roxas soon turned back to the stack of yearbooks that sat unopened, getting back to the days of elementary school. Grabbing one at random, he calculated the year to be Axel's 2nd grade year, and eagerly found the page with his class. Axel was easy to find – he was taller than all of the other kids, and leaning on a small blond boy's shoulder. _Demyx again…_ The boy he was holding up bunny ears to looked strangely familiar – light hair, narrowed eyes, slightly exasperated expression… _Riku?_ Roxas laughed out loud at the sight, only made better by the eager young Sora clinging to his arm. Axel moved again, snuggling against his pillow, and the rustling of the blankets pulled Roxas out of his thoughts.

Putting the yearbook back where he'd found it, he filled the empty basket with dirty clothes to put in the washer and headed back out of Axel's room to continue cleaning.

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"Riku! Riku, let's get kimchi! I love kimchi!"

Riku shook his head, grinning. "Roxas said no kimchi, So. Remember, we're shopping for Axel, not for us."

Sora glared at him, sullenly pushing the cart along the aisle. "Who doesn't like kimchi?"

"Axel."

"What a moron!"

Riku turned around and raised his eyebrows at Sora. "Are you serious? I think that must be the first time I have _ever_ heard you say something directly negative about someone without it being accompanied by some half-hearted compliment."

"He has a nice smile," Sora grumbled, angry to be denied his lovely kimchi. "A nice, moronic smile."

Riku shook his head and grinned, approaching the deli counter. "What kind of meat should we get him?"

"It's not that his _smile_ is moronic, it's a nice smile, it's just… it's…"

"Uhh, could I get a pound of roast beef?" Riku asked, cutting off Sora's mumbling monologue, which only trailed off when they entered the empty Bread & Cereal aisle.

"How come no one else wants to buy cereal?" he asked idly, picking at his fingernails.

Riku sighed and ruffled Sora's hair, giving him a quick peck on the cheek. "You seriously need to stop talking, So."

Heeding the other boy's advice, Sora resorted instead to singing softly to himself as he trailed Riku up and down the aisles. "Ri, I'm learning this song for music class, and we're gonna have a sort of recital-type thing in an assembly for the whole school in the spring, and I'm gonna be singing, isn't that cool? I'm kind of scared, though."

"Don't be scared," Riku said, focusing more on the price difference between generic and name-brand yogurts. "I'm sure you'll be good. Do they make everyone sing or what?"

Sora shook his head. "It's sort of a… free-form class. You can do whatever you're good at, as long as it's musical-ish. Demyx is in it with me. It's fun, and I needed another art credit, so… yea. I didn't know we were gonna have to perform for the _school,_ though."

"Does he even eat yogurt?"

"You're not _listening_, Riku."

"Yes I am!" Riku looked up, putting both kinds of yogurt back on the shelf. "Singing. Music class. Stage fright."

"I've got a Christmas present for you!" Sora exclaimed, suddenly remembering what he had left in the car.

"God, your train of thought just completely derailed, didn't it?" Smirking, Riku added: "This isn't like your Hanukkah present for me, is it? 'Cause that was cool. Really cool."

Sora shook his head, smiling. "No, this is like… an _actual_ present, not just sex."

Riku looked mildly disappointed, but still intrigued. "Cool. I'm excited."

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Roxas wiped his hands on his jeans, finally satisfied with the state of the living room. The space heater had finally started to really kick in, so he wasn't freezing anymore, and he had managed to unearth a vacuum cleaner from the laundry closet. Without all the trash, the room seemed clean but rather empty. The dryer beeped again, letting him know another load of laundry was done.

_Perfect timing_. _Finish a room, fold more clothes…_

After pulling the clean clothes into a basket, he slowly opened the door to Axel's room again, trying to be as quiet as possible before the redhead came into view – sitting up, awake, and smoking a cigarette.

Roxas smiled, plopping the basket down on the floor and sitting down on the bed next to Axel.

"My head is throbbing," Axel mumbled, pulling the blankets tighter around his shoulders.

Resisting the urge to tackle the redhead to the bed and cuddle him into oblivion, Roxas simply fidgeted. "Sorry. Maybe you should have considered that before, you know…"

Axel blinked slowly, putting out his cigarette before lying back against his pillow.

"D-D'you want a hug?"

Axel smiled faintly, nodding from his horizontal position. Succumbing to his urges, Roxas crawled on top of him, wrapping his arms around the older boy any way he could and resting his head on Axel's shoulder.

"I like hugs," Axel murmured, snaking one arm up around Roxas's shoulder.

"I think you're still drunk," Roxas said, laughing a little at Axel's slightly bewildered expression.

"Just a little…"

Shaking off Axel's arm, Roxas sat up, straddling the other boy's chest. "You should sleep," he said softly, leaning down to kiss Axel's forehead.

"I can't."

"Why not?"

"My head."

"Your head?"

"It hurts."

"Oh…" Roxas idly rolled the chain on Axel's neck between his fingers. "Do you have any Advil or anything?"

Axel shook his head. "Come here," he said, pushing Roxas off of his chest and holding up the blankets. "Come in here with me."

"I gotta keep cleaning, Ax."

"Bullshit! Come _here_." Axel sprung into action the same way he had the first morning they had woken up together, dragging Roxas close to him and wrapping them both up tightly in the blankets. After a moment of silent cuddling, he spoke again. "Hey Rox?"

"Yea?"

"Can we fuck? Like… now?"

Roxas snorted. "No."

"What? Why not? It would brighten my shitty day…"

Roxas leaned back to make eye contact and smiled, unable to keep a straight face as Axel's hopeful expression came into view.

"Ax, remember how I wouldn't let you _kiss_ me until it was a really good, special, romantic, Hannukah moment?"

"Yea, so this is a special, romantic, Christmas moment!"

Roxas shook his head, trying not to laugh at Axel's now forlorn face. "It's really all you think about, isn't it?"

Axel shrugged, then leaned back to stretch his arms. "A guy needs to be touched sometimes, you know?"

Roxas's face brightened. "Well, that's something completely different, if you just want to be touched. That's not sex, that's just touching. Ooh! I can give you a massage!" He climbed atop the redhead again, holding his shoulders down. "Beggars can't be choosers, Ax. Do you have like… lotion or something?"

"Under the bed."

Roxas raised his eyebrows but reached an arm down anyway, feeling around until his hand found a bottle of lavender scented lotion. "Even _I'm_ not this gay," he remarked, teasing Axel as the flowery scent filled the air. Rubbing a bit into his hands, he motioned for Axel to turn over, then began to massage the older boy's shoulders.

"Oh… that's alright, I guess," Axel mumbled, his head resting on his arms. "Ask me questions. I feel like talking."

"Hmmm…" Roxas bit his lip. "Alright. Tell me about your mom."

"No. New question."

"Ok, tell me about your dad."

Axel sighed. "Rox, my mom was a hooker. She has no idea which guy knocked her up. There were too many."

"You'd think she'd remember that hair color…"

Axel laughed. "Yea, we used to joke around about it, it must be a recessive gene or something. Whatever, it doesn't matter anyway, whoever the guy was, he was lame enough to hire a hooker, so…"

"So where did crack come into the picture?" Roxas asked, figuring he was on a roll.

"Ugh… well, ok, when she found out she was pregnant she had to stop, uh, hooker-ing, for a bit… And so she was dealing while she was pregnant for a while, but then once I was born she went back to just being a whore, but then high school started and books were expensive, and everything costs money, and… yea. She never tried to hide it from me that she was a whore, but she never talked to me about dealing. I knew she was doing it, but I think she didn't want me to know. We have a weird mother-son relationship, I guess… I used to hate when she'd be gone all night, though. Seriously, I once made Demyx stay over for like a week straight in 8th grade. I didn't want to be alone at night."

"Bet you two had fun," Roxas said sullenly, kneading at Axel's lower back. "You seem awfully… close."

Axel opened one eye, looking at Roxas over his shoulder. "What, are you jealous or something? Of _Demyx_?"

Roxas mumbled under his breath, looking down and avoiding Axel's eye. Axel laughed, then laid his head down again, relaxing.

"Rox, don't be jealous of Demyx. We _are_ close, though – I guess that's what you'd call it… I… He's just always been there for me, with me, and he didn't make fun of me when I told him about my mom, and we just… I dunno, we were friends as little kids, and as we got older, we just got closer. His parents used to fight a lot and when he'd get in the middle, he'd get pushed around, so he would end up staying over here a lot just to be away from that, and I loved it, because then I wasn't alone. We got older and I started getting stoned a lot, and he'd sell it to me cheap and make sure I didn't do anything stupid, or if I did, make sure he was there to laugh at me… Demyx is probably the reason I kept my grades good up until mom got arrested. He'd make me do my homework and stuff even when I didn't feel like it, which wasn't so bad. I used to really like doing math problems. When I was younger… We haven't seen each other as much lately, but when we do, it's like nothing's changed. He still gives me weed, and he still takes care of me, and I still just get all calm and stuff when he's around."

"So… were you ever, you know…?"

"What, like, _together_? As in, was he my boyfriend ever? No. I mean, well… You get to that age where you start to wonder about stuff, and you kind of… experiment. We did that. I mean, Demyx was my first… everything. We used to, well… I'd get upset about something, and he'd be all calm, and I'd get stoned and we'd fuck, but he liked it too, so it was all good. When I wanted to master blowjobs, he was the one I practiced on, and vice versa. Stuff like that. There was one period of time where we were doing that… a lot. But we were never officially like, together, or whatever. We just always knew that the other was there, if we ever wanted to do anything, although by the time high school started we had, you know, branched out to other people. There was never any weird jealous stuff going on, although Demyx would tell you otherwise. He had this awful boyfriend once, who treated him like shit, and I had to, uh… step in, and put an end to it. Dem thinks I was jealous, but it's a load of shit, I just knew the guy was a tool when Dem started coming to school with bruises all over him."

"Oh…"

Axel motioned for Roxas to sit up a little so he could turn over. Stretching out on his back, he smiled. "You gotta get both sides."

Roxas lowered his hands, hesitating as he tried to avoid Axel's ribs, which stuck out further than he remembered.

Axel's smile vanished. "Yea, pretty creepy, huh? Kinda disgusting, I guess…" Self-conscious, he pulled one of the blankets over his chest to cover up.

"No, Axel, I just…" Roxas trailed off, gently pulling the blanket away and apprehensively running his fingers along the protruding bones. "What does it feel like?"

Axel shrugged. "Feels like your hands."

Roxas explored the various surfaces of Axel's chest, feeling the dips between the bones and the soft skin over his stomach. "Ax, why didn't you say anything? This… it's not healthy."

"It's usually not this bad. I just didn't have as much money this month as I usually do. Why do you think I eat so much every time I go to your house?"

Roxas looked suspicious for a moment. "This isn't one of those binge and purge type things, is it? You're not like… bulimic, right?"

Axel snorted and whacked Roxas's arm. "No, Rox, I'm not _bulimic_. I'm just poor."

Roxas laughed a little, kissing Axel's collarbone softly. "Sorry, sorry… I just worry about you sometimes." He paused, then continued: "So, you said you and Demyx just always know the other is there if either of you wants to, uh… do anything. But what about now? What if he came up to you tomorrow and said he wanted to fuck? Would you?"

"He wouldn't do that for two reasons. One, because that would put me in a position where I'd have to say no to him, and neither of us wants that to come up. Two, because he would never ask me to cheat on someone I'm going out with. Rox, you think he doesn't know how crazy I am about you? He's the one that told me to stick with you even though it'd be forever 'till I got some action, because he could tell when I was talking about you how much I like you. Plus, even if by some strange chance, he _did_ ask me, I'd say no. But he wouldn't ask."

"Good. Because you're mine." Roxas grinned before leaning forward and capturing Axel's lips in a rough kiss. When he tried to pull back again, he found that Axel wouldn't let him, and he smiled into the kiss as he settled down on the older boy's chest, any traces of jealousy quashed.

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"It's… er… it's wonderful!" Riku tried to look excited as he desperately tried to figure out what exactly he was holding. It appeared to be a small-ish, dark red… blob of yarn.

"You like it?" Sora looked overjoyed, bouncing up and down a little in the passenger's seat of Riku's car outside the grocery store. "Try it on! I-I felt bad about ruining your other one, so I made this one to make up for it… I hope it's the right size though, I wasn't sure…"

_What of mine has Sora ruined? Arrgh…_

His head spinning, Riku smiled half-heartedly and felt around until he found an opening in the blob. _It's… it's… he ruined… my hat! He ruined my hat! This is a hat?_

Pulling it onto his head, Riku turned to Sora. "How's it look?"

Sora's grin widened even more. "I knew the color would look good with your complexion! It makes you look really tan, Riku, look!"

Riku leaned his seat back and craned his neck to see his reflection in the rear view mirror, realizing after doing so that he could have simply moved the mirror. He had to admit, as strangely lumpy as the hat looked in his hands, it spread out on his head and made him look only slightly silly. Proud of his quick thinking, he grinned at Sora. "It's great, So, really."

Blushing, Sora stared at his hands, then looked up. "Well, c'mon, the ice cream is gonna melt and the milk is gonna go bad if you don't hurry up to Axel's…"

Riku grinned, ruffling Sora's hair before he started up the car, heading for Axel's apartment.

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AN: Hum dee dum. A bit filler-ish, but I had fun writing. I'm kind of madly in love with Axel, so you'll have to excuse me for writing obsessively about him! XD Demyx is growing on me as well, he's such a cutie. Hope you liked this one, next chapter should be up fairly soon! Thanks for reading, and reviews are always (greatly) appreciated!


	13. Strawberry Soymilk? Embarassing Photos!

Disclaimer: Kingdom Hearts does not belong to me!  
AN: This chapter is a tiny bit slow, but cute nonetheless! Next chapter will have more, well, action/plot progression. My school's got a long weekend type thing this weekend, so I should hopefully be able to get Chapter 14 up by Sunday (yay!) !  
Thanks so much for the hits, reviews, faves, and alerts! XD It makes my day! Enjoy!

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Waffles. Mmm… or maybe, pancakes? Food… _Fooooooooood_….

Axel groggily blinked his eyes open, trying to ignore the high-pitched ringing in his ears as the smell of breakfast wafted into his nose.

_Oh…_

Having sat up apparently too fast, he fell back against his pillow, clutching at his head as a searing pain shot through it, directly above his eyes. After a moment, the pain toned down to a dull ache, and after a fleeting wave of nausea had passed, he glanced at the clock.

_9:00_… _Ugh…_

As he woke up a bit more, memories of the previous day and night slowly began to seep back to him. How many times had he woken up during the night? He remembered hearing Sora and Riku come in, being alone for a while, sleeping… Waking up with Roxas, when it was dark, bodies all tangled up together… Waking up again and again, with Roxas on top of him, beside him, sprawled sideways across him…

_Oh, right…_

Earlier, crying on the floor in the living room, Roxas holding him, and kissing him, and… Demyx? Had Demyx been there? Axel squeezed his eyes shut, trying to figure out how his Christmas had gone so awry. _Oh!_ And…

_Ichigo!_

The small, fuzzy tiger lay a few inches to his right, and Axel happily embraced him, laughing quietly to himself as he realized the smell of lavender had taken over everything in his bed.

_The massage…_

Now the cold was setting in, and Axel nestled tightly into his pile of blankets for a moment before the smell of fresh pancakes and the sound of laughter from the kitchen became too hard to resist. He climbed out of bed slowly, gritting his teeth as the freezing air hit his skin, and pulled on a baggy pair of sweatpants and his favorite black sweatshirt, which, not surprisingly, smelled like Roxas. _He looked cute in it – the sleeves were way too long on him. _Clutching Ichigo tightly, he headed out of his room and padded quietly around the corner to the kitchen.

_Holy shit!_

Axel stood in shock at the corner, blinking a few times to make sure he wasn't dreaming.

"Hey, look who's finally up!" Riku smirked, poking Roxas to alert him of the new arrival.

"Holy shit," Axel said hoarsely, looking around in awe at the state of his apartment. All of the trash had miraculously disappeared, the space heater seemed to be working fairly well (as it was not quite as freezing in this room), there were even a few scented candles placed tactfully around the room, not to mention the candy canes which seemed to be spread across every available hard surface other than the kitchen counter and the floor.

Roxas turned around, revealing a large plate of pancakes. Upon seeing Axel, he couldn't help but laugh – the redhead's hair was sticking out at stranger angles than usual, and he wore an expression not unlike that of someone about to be hit by a large truck.

Sora grinned from his spot at the skillet. "We cleaned and stuff. Did you notice?"

"Holy shit," Axel said again, his face breaking into a smile as he shuffled fully into the kitchen. "You guys did this?"

"Well, Roxas cleaned up the living room, and me and Sora got all the food and did your laundry, and Sora insisted upon the candles and the candy canes, so… Yea, I'd say we did this. Plus, we slept here. Did you know your couch is a pullout bed?" Riku dropped chocolate chips into the pancake batter as he spoke, leaning nonchalantly on the counter.

Axel looked around again, amazed, before pouncing on Riku and dragging him into a rather one-sided hug. Riku patted him awkwardly on the back, attempting to breathe through the other boy's tight embrace. Luckily, Axel let go with one arm to pull Sora and Roxas in as well, thus initiating a full-on group hug, which was, while fairly cheesy, still pretty enjoyable. Eying the skillet over the 6 shoulders in front of him, Axel raised his eyebrows.

"You have uh… interesting pancake tactics, Sora. I usually just make, you know, circles, but whatever…" Releasing Sora and Riku from his grip, he left one arm draped across Roxas's shoulders.

"They're Mickey Mouse pancakes!" Sora cried, reaching for the spatula to flip one of said pancakes. "That's what Riku said, too! What's wrong with you guys? Roxas knew they were Mickey Mouse pancakes without even having to ask."

The argument lasted only as long as it took to finish off the last of the batter, which was not long. Roxas was designated the carrier of the large plate, and the four boys sat in a circle on the pullout bed, the plate at the center. Axel volunteered to take the first experimental bite, and after pronouncing the pancakes edible, they all dug in. There was no need for forks, they just grabbed pancakes off the plate as they went, talking and laughing through mouthfuls of chocolatey goodness.

A loud knocking interrupted their conversation, and Sora sprung up to get the door, since he was the closest.

"Demyx! Hey!"

Axel turned to look over his shoulder, waving from his spot on the bed.

"I just wanted to see how everything was going over here, I didn't know if you guys had spent the night or not, so I wanted to make sure Axel wasn't passed out on the kitchen floor or anything."

Sora nodded. "We got food and stuff, too. Look! The candy canes were my idea," he added proudly. "Come in and have some pancakes!"

Always interested in food, Demyx agreed, taking the spot between Sora and Axel. Upon sitting down, he noticed Roxas seemed considerably friendlier than he had the day before. He nodded his greeting to Riku before giving Axel a quick hug and kiss on the cheek, to which Roxas looked only mildly displeased.

"You've got a little chocolate on your lip, Ax," Roxas said, leaning across the plate. "Let me help you get it off…" Snaking his tongue across Axel's lower lip, he leaned further and pressed his lips fully against the other boy's, pushing the redhead's hair out of the way to make sure Demyx's view was not blocked. Giving Demyx a pointed look, he settled back into his spot on the other side of the plate, pleased with himself for successfully marking his territory. An awkward silence ensued, during which Roxas happily chomped away at his pancakes, Axel watching him with an equally contented expression, Sora turned bright red, and Demyx simply smiled. Riku cleared his throat, trying not to laugh.

"Great pancakes," Demyx said brightly, attempting to start a conversation. The others murmured their assent, and Sora mumbled a "thanks" before the silence returned. After a few more false starts, a conversation finally got started when Sora and Demyx realized they shared a passion for watermelon chewing gum, and began a heated discussion over what was the best brand. Roxas eventually joined in the debate, lobbying for mango gum over watermelon, leaving Axel and Riku to talk with each other. Settling down beside the redhead, Riku sighed contentedly.

"This turned out alright," he said, watching Sora's face as he argued with Roxas.

Axel nodded. "I'm still amazed at everything you guys did. It's really… no one ever does stuff like this for me. I mean, it's- I- Thanks."

"It was Sora's idea, really. Seriously though, don't get so wasted like you were yesterday. It's-"

"I know." Axel stared at his feet, flexing his toes. "Believe me, the headache I've got right now is punishment enough. But I swear, I don't do that a lot. Not since meeting Roxas, and like, getting to be friends with you guys. It's just… a lot of shit has been piling up, and then yesterday I just kinda snapped. Seeing my mom is kind of a double-edged sword. Plus, there's just other stuff going on."

"Like what?" Riku looked genuinely interested, prying his eyes from Sora to look at Axel instead.

Axel paused for a moment, picking at one of his fingernails. "They're gonna expel me if I don't pass this year. My first semester grades are already shit, and all my teachers hate me, so the chances of me being able to pull that off are slim to none. I'd have to get, like, straight A's second semester to balance out the average, and it's not like that's gonna happen, so…"

"Well, that's _your_ choice."

"People work their asses off and still can't get straight A's. It's just not possible all the time. Plus, as I said, all my teachers hate me. It's not like there's any point, anyway, I mean, there's no money for college, so why even bother with high school?"

Riku sighed, exasperated. "God, you're immature. Are you serious? Do you want to work in a gas station for the rest of your life?" When Axel was silent, he continued: "You want to deal drugs? Want to end up like your mom?"

"Shut the fuck up," Axel hissed, glaring daggers at Riku. "Leave my mom out of this."

"No."

"Excuse me?"

"I won't leave her out of this. Axel, you're a smart guy, and you're naturally good at school stuff. You were doing great until she went to jail, and then you just threw all of that away. If you drop out, or get expelled, you're just going to end up going down that same path, and ending up in the same place she did. How do you think she would feel about that, after working so hard to keep you in school? How would _you_ feel? You're better than this, and you know it. Of course it's hard that she's gone, but you're almost 18 years old, and you don't need your mom to be with you all the time in order to do okay at school, or to take care of yourself."

Axel snorted, shaking his head. "You take so much for granted. Have you ever tried living alone? There's so much shit I have to deal with, and then school on top of that? I don't have time for grades. I don't have the energy to focus on writing some inconsequential essay that's just going to get thrown out when the teacher's done with it. I just-I can't do it."

"Wrong." Riku laughed for a moment, then looked up at Axel seriously. "You're wrong. It's not true. Maybe you couldn't do it before, but that was then. You couldn't do it alone. But you're not alone anymore, Ax, look around you. Everyone in this room has shown in the past 24 hours that they're ready, willing, and happy to be there for you and take care of you, with the exception of one person: you. You've been so preoccupied with the basics that you've forgotten how to really take care of yourself, and respect yourself, and treat yourself well. So forget the basics. Stop worrying about food – that's what we're here for. You don't have to think about that stuff anymore, alright? What you _do_ need to do is hurry up and get your shit together, and you're _going_ to pass this year, and you're _going_ to graduate high school, and maybe it'll be hard, but I know you can do it, and so does everyone else here. Ax, we all love you, but we wouldn't be here taking care of you if we didn't think there was any hope for you getting back on your own two feet. You're a lot stronger and smarter than you let on, and even if you don't see it, I do, and I, for one, won't sit here and watch a smart, funny, worthwhile person throw their future away to spend it working in a 7-11."

Axel blinked, a little stunned by Riku's blunt but effective speech.

"So," Riku continued, "If you think I'll let you fail, you're wrong. If I see you're not at school, you can fully expect me to come banging on your door until you get up, and if I see you anywhere _near_ any intoxicating substances, you can expect me to take them away from you and get rid of them. Oh, and you can also expect me to fully enlist the help of Roxas, and Sora, and Demyx. If I catch wind of Demyx giving you any more weed, I will personally hurt him. And I suspect Roxas can come up with plenty of motivation for you to do homework if you can't think of any on your own."

Axel sat silently for a moment, still speechless. Finally, unable to come up with a better response, he said: "Ok."

Riku grinned. "You know, by saying okay, you've just entered into a binding contract with, uh… me. If you screw up, now I have permission to play awful music directly outside your window at all hours, or worse, make you eat asparagus."

Laughing, Axel rubbed his eyes. He felt as though a huge weight had been lifted off his shoulders, and as he looked around at his friends, he felt truly happy. He laughed again, for no real reason but the feeling he had that something had just changed for the better, and Riku was his friend, and Sora and Demyx were laughing about something too, and Roxas was turning around and God, his eyes were so blue…

Roxas's gaze faltered as he heard his cell phone start to ring. Pulling it out of his pocket, he was about to flip it open when it was wrenched from his hand by a grinning redhead.

"Give it back!"

"Hello?" Axel answered Roxas's phone in a fake British accent, fighting off the blond's attempts to reclaim his property. "No, no- Roxas can't get to the phone right now, can I- yes, can I take a message?"

"Axel!"

Standing up on the bed, Axel grabbed Roxas's hands with his free one, holding the blond off as he listened to the girl on the other end of the phone.

"What? I-I didn't catch that, I'm sorry…"

"Who is this?" the girl asked, sounding vaguely confused.

"Axel."

"Axel?"

"I'm his, ahh, his boyfriend."

"His _boyfriend_?"

Hearing the incredulous voice from the other end, Roxas struggled harder, trying to free his hands so he could reach the phone. "Guys, some help?"

The others simply laughed, none of them feeling particularly mobile.

"Well," Axel said, grinning at Roxas, "I give him blowjobs for free, so I guess that makes me his boyfriend…"

"Oh my _GOD_!" Roxas cried, finally freeing one hand and clawing at Axel. "Who _is it_?"

"Yea, can I take that message, then?"

Axel nodded as the girl spoke, clamping the phone between his ear and shoulder as he used his hands to hold Roxas at arm's length.

"Oh my God, Namine? I wore your pants once! They were super comfy. Yea. Okay, yea, I'll tell him you called. Uh huh. Yea. No, they were these blue sweatpants, yea, he had them in his drawer. Yea. No, I just borrowed them, he kept them. Uh huh. Ok, I'll tell him that. Definitely. Have a- what? Yea. Okay, here, let me hand you over to Roxas, ok? I think he wants to talk to you."

Grinning, he held the phone out to Roxas, who snatched it out of his hands and held it half-heartedly to his ear.

"Hello?"

Axel sat down, pulling the sulky blond into his lap as he went.

"Listen, I'm sort of in the middle of something, can I just get back to you another time, Namine?"

Sighing, Roxas flipped the phone shut. Looking around at his silent friends, he shrugged. "What?"

"You should talk to her," Sora said. "You guys used to be so cute."

"Shut up, we were not _cute_."

Sora grinned, turning to Axel. "They used to have sleepovers and paint each other's toenails."

"Awww!" Demyx and Axel both seemed equally excited, cooing over Roxas as the smaller blond turned red.

Riku laughed. "I remember that. I'd go over to your house and they'd be watching some Meg Ryan movie and drinking strawberry soymilk."

"What's wrong with strawberry soymilk?"

"Remember the time we walked in and Roxas was wearing-"

"Shut _up_!"

"-wearing Namine's little white dress?"

Riku and Sora were both laughing hysterically at this point, Riku desperately trying to finish his sentence. "And they-they were taking pictures!"

"Why did I miss this? What? I want to see these pictures!" Axel exclaimed, trying to look Roxas in the eye as the blonde twisted away from him, embarrassed.

"She has them," he mumbled, glaring at his brother. "Stop _laughing_, it's not that funny!"

By the time Sora stopped laughing, Roxas had stalked off to wash the pancake plate in the kitchen, followed by Axel, then Demyx, and finally Riku, leaving Sora to scramble after them.

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AN: Alright, so there wasn't a particular lot of action. It was still cute, though! Next chapter will have _real live plot_, I promise! Thanks so much for reading, please leave a review!

Chapter 14 to be up soon! (Cookies for bearing with me through a slightly slower section of the story!)  
ALSO, to any of you who have mentioned fanart and/or drawing scenes, you should seriously do it! Yay for fanart!

Anyways, thanks again for reading, next chap up soon, yada yada. See you all next chapter! XD


	14. My Hair Is Brown And His Is Not

Disclaimer: Kingdom Hearts does not belong to me!  
AN: Hello all! I am currently eating a celebratory bowl of Kix cereal, and do you want to know why? Becuase what better way to celebrate breaking 200 REVIEWS on this story than a bowl full of sugar cereal, culminating in leftover purple milk? If allowed multiple punctuation marks in a row, there would be at least 4 exclamation points following that question mark! Seriously though, thank you all so much! You have no idea how excited I get about each and every review - perhaps the copious use of exclamation points in this AN is some indication! XD Anyways, I am pretty happy with this chapter, and I hope you all enjoy it as well!

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"_Roxas_!"

Roxas's head snapped up just in time to see the bright orange hockey puck hurtling toward him. Next thing he knew, he was on his back on the gym floor, the faces of Cloud and a few classmates coming into focus beneath the bright lights.

"Huh…?"

"Roxas, are you okay? Can you hear me?" Cloud waved his hands around in front of the teen's face, causing him to squint and blink more.

"I… what happened?" Roxas squeezed his eyes shut, then opened them, spotting a familiar mane of red hair in his peripheral vision. Soon, he was able to bring Axel's face into focus as the older boy pushed his classmates out of the way.

"Rox, you alright?" Catching view of Roxas's forehead, he cringed. "That's gonna bruise…"

"How many fingers am I holding up, Roxas?"

Cloud held up a hand, which seemed to be separating into multiple hands before refocusing, and the light was so damn bright…

"Twelve?" Roxas guessed, blinking again as he tried to sit up. Upon sitting up, he promptly sneezed, the force knocking him back onto his back again. Sniffing, he closed his eyes. "Ugh…"

"Let me take him to the nurse," he heard Axel say. "I think he'll be okay if he can just lie down for a little while."

"Axel, you know how you're trying to actually pass this year? I can't pass you if you're not in class. Uh… Tidus! Help Roxas to the nurse's office, would you?"

Roxas summoned up his strength to latch onto Axel's leg, not particularly excited at the prospect of being dragged across the school by a boy he barely knew. Feeling a tug on his arm, he whimpered in protest, clinging harder to Axel's ankle through the haze of pain now clouding his consciousness.

"Uhh, Mr. Strife? He's kind of…"

Cloud sighed. "Fine. Axel, come straight back once you get him there. If you're not back in 15 minutes-"

"Yea, yea, I know, I know…"

Roxas finally relaxed his grip as he felt Axel's warm hands under his arms, pulling him up. Trying to stand, he opened his eyes, but the room was spinning around him, and his knees collapsed beneath him. Not to be discouraged, Axel scooped the smaller boy into his arms, picking him up off the floor and heading for the door out of the gym. Roxas sneezed again as he felt the rush of air from the door closing, and he snuggled against the older boy for comfort, reaching his arms up around the redhead's neck.

"Rox, I think you might be sick," Axel said jokingly, planting a light kiss somewhere in his mess of blond hair. "You were totally spacing out when you got hit."

"Floor hockey is a dangerous sport," Roxas mumbled, attempting to open his eyes again. The brightness of the lights seemed a little more bearable now, though the throbbing pain seemed to be getting sharper.

Pressing his cheek to Roxas's forehead, Axel raised his eyebrows. "Rox, you're burning up."

"You're one to talk…"

"Hush, you. I think you've got a fever. No wonder you've been so spacey the past few days…"

Rounding the corner, Axel managed to get the door to the nurse's office open with his feet and elbows, and Nurse Aeris appeared almost immediately from behind her desk, gasping at the sight of the large, red mark on Roxas's forehead.

"Dear God, what _happened_?"

Roxas let his eyes fall closed again, choosing to let Axel explain the situation. He drifted in and out of consciousness as he heard the nurse and the older teen discussing his condition, vaguely aware of being transferred to a darker, cooler room and a bed.

_I think he might have a fever… Let me just…_

_Yep, 102.5, he's definitely got some kind of bug… There are a lot of bad colds going around, it is the season, after all… _

_Should I stay with him? I don't want him to be in here alone, what if he needs help with something? What if he wakes up?_

_But- but… _

_Axel, go to class. This is my job. _

_I'll come back right after school… I have to give him a ride home, anyway, and I want to make sure he's alright…_

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"You make me feel like I've just eaten a particularly good bite of kimchi?"

Riku looked up at Sora skeptically, setting the other boy's notebook down on his desk.

"What? It's my favorite food…"

"So, the Valentine's Day poems are supposed to be… not about kimchi."

Sora sighed, staring around the English classroom in desperation. The Valentine's Day poetry assignment was his least favorite – he was no good at writing poetry, much less romantic poetry. At least they had been allowed to pick their own peer editors; anyone other than Riku would probably have just laughed at him. Not that Riku wasn't laughing – he just laughed less than the others usually did.

"It's not all bad," Riku said, trying to stay positive. "You've got a few really good lines. I like, uh… I like the one about the iron bubble of love… It's, er… good imagery."

"Don't patronize me," Sora said gloomily, putting his head on his desk. "I know it sucks. I'm not good at this stuff. I hate school. Let's run away and open up a family owned grocery store or something, and never go to school again."

Riku snorted, toying with Sora's hair gently. "There, there's something. Running away together, that's romantic. C'mon, let me help you. We can pull some kind of poem together before the end of the period, alright? And you can turn it in and pretend you did it on your own. I've already got a sufficiently lame sonnet put together for me."

"I can't take all the credit if you come up with all the ideas, Riku."

"Then sit up and start thinking. I won't come up with all the ideas, I'll just help you."

Sighing again, Sora lifted his head from the desk and scooted closer, flipping to a blank page in his notebook. "Okay."

"Alright," Riku said, picking up his pen. "So what are some general images you associate with Valentine's Day?"

"You know, why do we even have to write these a month before Valentine's Day? It's the middle of _January_, don't you think it's a little _early_?"

"Focus, So."

"Err, snow. Hearts. Oh! Candy, like those little candy hearts that say "fax me" and "loverboy" and stuff…"

"Okay, keep going…" Jotting down Sora's ideas, Riku looked up encouragingly. "Try to think, like… Say you're writing a love letter. Try to think about it that way, just, as a poem instead of a letter."

"Er…"

"What's the first thing you'd write?" Handing the pen to Sora, he scooted back a little. "Just write down the first thing you'd put in the letter. We'll work from there."

As Sora tried to write, Riku lost himself in idle thought. Why _did _they always have to write the Valentine's Day poems so early? It didn't make sense…

_Sora's not so bad at English, he just thinks he is, and that gets in his way… _Letting his thoughts wander, he remembered an essay of Axel's he had recently edited for him. The feisty teen was actively trying to improve his grades, having scraped up a D- average for first semester, and in Riku's opinion, his writing wasn't half bad. It had only been a few weeks since their talk after Christmas, but so far, Axel had shown himself to be pretty dedicated, and he seemed happier overall now that he had something to really work towards.

"Riku, I… It sucks. I can't do it." Pushing the notebook back to Riku, Sora looked sullenly at the platinum blond.

Leaning over, Riku read what Sora had written down:

_When I see you walking in my direction_

_I want nothing but your affection_

_Your eyes are really deep and stuff? like pools of love_

_Won't you give me a hug?_

_BLAH BLAH THIS POEM SUCKS! _

_I love riku_

_Riku loves me_

_In the winter in the snow and_

_In the summer in the trees_

_My hair is brown and his is not_

_But when he's near me, my teeth rot (?)_

_Because hes so sweet?_

_This is lame i give up_

Unable to keep from laughing, Riku looked up at Sora's sulky expression. "My hair is brown and his is not?"

"Shut up!" Sora cried indignantly, smacking Riku with his notebook. "It's the best I can do!"

"I'm glad I can successfully make your teeth rot," Riku said, choking out the words through his laughter. Fighting off Sora's notebook assault, he leaned across the desk, leaving a soft kiss on the brunet's lips. "So, you're thinking too hard about this. You're one of the sweetest people I've ever met, and you're constantly saying cute stuff to me. Just open up your mind a little bit and write what you feel."

"Write what I feel?" Sora dropped his head to his desk again as the bell rang. "Out of time. Come over after school and help me, ok? Please?"

Riku smiled, grabbing his backpack as he stood up. "Of course."

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Roxas settled into the passenger's seat, immersing himself in Axel's sweatshirt as he let out a few coughs. He had taken a couple Advil, and his head was feeling a little better, although he still had a fever and all the general cold symptoms. As Axel started up the car, he leaned his head on the window and attempted to fall back asleep, something almost impossible due to Axel's carefree (in other words, bad) driving style.

"Good. Sleep. I'll make you some soup when we get to your house, alright?"

Roxas nodded, inhaling Axel's scent from the sweatshirt and pulling the hood over his head to block out the sunshine. "I feel like shit."

After running surprisingly few stop signs, the two pulled up in front of Roxas's house, and Axel took the liberty of carrying both of their backpacks so Roxas could effectively make it up to his room before collapsing onto his bed. Allowing Axel to spread a few blankets over him, he fell asleep almost immediately, waking up later to find a hot bowl of chicken noodle soup waiting for him and Axel sitting beside him on the bed, working on his homework.

He sipped it slowly, enjoying both the warmth of the soup in his stomach and the warmth of Axel's arm around his shoulders. Sufficiently fed, he settled down against the redhead again, allowing himself to drift back to sleep to the sound of Axel's pencil scratching on his paper. After a few minutes, Axel heard a soft knock at the bedroom door, and he looked up in time to see a small, pretty, blonde girl enter.

"Uh, can I help you?"

Standing awkwardly in the doorway, the girl looked fairly surprised to see him there, and seemed to be considering leaving. "Oh, I just… I came to see Roxas, but it looks like he's asleep… I- are you the one I talked to on the phone? Axel, was it?"

"Yea, that's me. So you're the famous Namine, then?"

She nodded, a soft smile playing across her face as he approached the bed. "I haven't seen him in a while," she said, brushing a piece of Roxas's hair out of his face. "I felt so bad for forgetting to show up that time, and then he wouldn't answer the phone… Then I talked to him for like, a second, that one time a few weeks ago, and he never called me back… I was in the neighborhood, so I figured I may as well stop by. I've missed him a lot."

Axel nodded. "He has that effect."

Looking up, Namine smiled at Axel. "So, you two are… together?"

"Yep."

"And you treat him right?"

"Hey, I'm not the one who stood him up, am I? Plus, look around. Who do you think made the chicken soup?" Axel looked slightly offended, running a hand affectionately through Roxas's hair. "What's with the questions, anyway?"

"Well, we used to be really close," she said, sighing. Her smile returning, she perched lightly on the side of the bed, examining Roxas's sleeping face again. "I can't help but try to take care of him, still." Sighing again, she added: "I really _have_ missed him. We did _everything_ together when we were younger."

Axel watched as she scooted further back to sit cross-legged near the foot of the bed, unzipping her white jacket to reveal a small gray tank top. After staring at Roxas for a few more seconds, she looked up. "Do you mind if I hang out here for a little bit? I never get to see him anymore, and just being in this room brings back memories."

Axel shook his head. "I don't mind. But if he wakes up, he might get mad. He's got some kind of grudge against you, ever since you stood him up. Speaking of which, I should thank you for that. If you had actually showed up, I wouldn't have noticed him sitting at that table alone, and I would probably never have had a conversation with him again. He'd be forever preserved in my mind as the stupid blond kid that wouldn't have sex with me."

Namine laughed, looking away. "I still feel horrible about it, but I guess if it got you two together, then at least one good thing came out of it. You met him at the café?"

Axel shook his head. "I met him in the locker room at school, and long story short, I ended up having to give him a ride to the café after school. I got hopelessly lost after dropping him off, and I realized I was going in circles when I pulled up outside the café _again_, and I noticed that he was still sitting there alone, so I picked him up and took him home. We watched a couple vampire movies, and I ended up spending the night."

Namine raised her eyebrows. "Spending the night, huh? On the day you met? Roxas sure has changed…"

Axel snorted. "Spending the night, as in, sleeping. He wouldn't even let me kiss him until Hannukah, so no worries, your ickle Roxy-kins hasn't turned into a slut…"

Laughing again, Namine fiddled with the edges of her jeans' pockets. "He used to hate when people called him that. Yuffie and Rikku would call him Roxy when they wanted to annoy him."

Grinning, Axel remembered something Sora had said. "So, I hear you have pictures of Roxas in a dress?"

"Oh God, who told you about that?"

"Sora."

Namine shook her head, giggling a little. "I bet Roxas was mad. He looked _really_ cute in the dress, though. I've got the pictures somewhere in my room, I just can't remember where."

"Well, when you find them, you tell me, alright?"

Namine nodded, and standing up, she smoothed out her jeans before holding out a hand to Axel. "Gosh, I'll stop distracting you from your homework! It's been good to meet you, Axel. I'm really glad Roxas has found himself such a nice boyfriend. Will you tell him I stopped by when he wakes up?"

Shaking her hand, Axel nodded. "Thanks. Yea, I'll tell him. Come back sometime soon, though, he's just been sick lately, but usually he's awake in the afternoon."

"I will!" she replied, beaming. "Well… Alright, I'll see you later, then."

"Seeya."

Turning back to his homework, Axel resisted the urge to be distracted as he heard Riku and Sora coming upstairs, the two of them having finally made it back from their daily after-school Starbucks run.

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"Okay. Just pretend I'm not holding this notebook, and pretend I'm not writing down what you're saying, ok?"

"You're not writing what I'm saying."

"But I'm going to," Riku said, sighing as he tried to help Sora, once again, with their English assignment. "Either way, pretend that we were just sitting here, and I asked you to tell me how you feel about me."

"Without the notebook? If we were just sitting here?"

"Yea."

"Well, that's easy!" Sora said, grinning as he leaned in to kiss Riku. "I'd just… do this…"

Resisting the urge to throw the notebook aside and simply spend the afternoon kissing Sora, Riku pushed the brunet off of him. "With _words_, Sora."

Sora pouted, looking down. "Riku, I'm not _good_ at words."

Sighing again, Riku tried to come up with a way to get Sora to cooperate. Hatching a plan in his mind, he leaned forward, lightly tracing Sora's jaw with his finger, staring deep into the other boy's eyes. "Sora…"

"Yea…?" The brunet closed his eyes and leaned forward to close the gap between their faces, only to be stopped by Riku's other hand.

"Keep your eyes closed," he said, continuing to gently touch the brunet's face. "Now just tell me- with words- tell me how this feels."

"I… It feels good…"

"Be specific," Riku said, his lips brushing Sora's as he spoke.

"It's… umm… your hands are warm, but I get kinda shivery, and-and it makes me want to kiss you, but I can't, because you're making me talk instead."

"Shivery where?"

"All over."

"Shivery is a generic word, be more specific, what does it _feel like_?"

"Um… um… I… It feels like your hands are the only warm thing, and all over I get shivery, like I'm… like the way it's cold right when you get out of the shower, and you want to grab anything to get you dry and warm, but-but right now I just want to grab _you_, but I… Ohh…" Sora shuddered as Riku softly kissed his neck, his words trailing off.

"Keep… talking…"

"I… Now I'm not as cold, except my arms and stuff, and-and where you're kissing is warm, really warm, and nice, except when you stop, then it's cold, because my skin is still wet and then the air hits it and… Riku…"

"Keep talking!"

"Um… it- it's not as cold now, and I feel all warm in… in my chest and my stomach and stuff, and I get this energy in my arms, like I really wanna hold onto you and move and stuff, but you won't let me because I have to _talk_, and now it's almost bad, it's almost like-like _torture_, because you're teasing me and I can't do anything about it, and I feel like I'll go _insane_ if I can't touch you, and everything's switching between being all shivery and feeling like fire, and-and…" Sora opened his eyes. "Why'd you stop?"

Riku sat back in his chair, grinning at Sora's flushed, pouty expression. Holding up the notebook, he handed Sora his pencil. "Write. Right now, before the feeling goes away."

He stood up, deciding that the best way to get Sora to write would be to leave the room for a few minutes. In the hall, he listened at the door for a moment before he heard the pencil begin to scratch across the paper, and he figured he'd give it a little while, taking the opportunity to poke his head in Roxas's door.

Axel looked up as the door opened, nodding a hello to the other boy.

Riku smiled at the sleeping lump of Roxas in the redhead's lap, and approached the bed. "How's the homework coming?"

Axel shrugged. "I'm remembering why I hate Science," he said, laughing. "I hate the word problems… I dunno which numbers I'm supposed to put where, or what equations to use."

"Need help?"

Axel shook his head. "I'll figure it out. I'm on the last problem, anyway. Oh, and guess what I found out today?"

"What?"

"Well, apparently I'm supposed to be getting another arts credit, so I've gotta pick up some art class. I've only got 4th period free, and the only classes offered during 4th that I can get an arts credit from are Ceramics, Advanced Photography, which I can't take, since I never took Beginner's Photography, some weird generalized music class, and Woodshop, which I can't take because I took it Freshman year. So basically, it's either Ceramics or music."

"Oh, is the music class the one with Ms. Lockheart? Sora's got a music class 4th period, and I'm pretty sure that's the only one…"

"Really?" Axel's face brightened. "I was thinking I'd probably go with music anyway, but if Sora's in it, then I'll definitely do it. I don't know anyone in Ceramics, and it sounds boring as hell."

Riku nodded. "Sora's in it, and I think he said Demyx is, too."

"Well, that settles it."

"Riku? Riku, where'd you go?" Sora's voice echoed down the hall.

"Ahh, I gotta see how his poem is going…"

"Man, you're whipped," Axel said, smirking as Riku turned toward the door.

Riku raised his eyebrows. "And who was it again who carried Roxas out of gym class to the nurse's office, _and_ made him homemade soup, _and_ carried all his books upstairs, and is currently employing himself as a pillow, soaking up thousands of germs that could potentially make _him_ sick every time Roxas _breathes_ on him? Oh, right. You."

"Well, when you put it that way…"

Riku laughed as he headed back to Sora's room, closing the door behind him as he took his seat back beside the brunet.

"Let's see what you've got..."

Grabbing the notebook, he began to read:

_the gentlest torture_

_so so light I can hardly feel_

_I'm thinking too much about why_

_I'm thinking too much about how_

_wet and cold and hot and humid_

_changing seasons playing out on my skin_

_I can't think about why_

_I can't think about how_

_but god, I can feel!_

_why the sudden stop?_

_my hands cant find you_

_but my eyes can, and then you're gone_

_searching for you, anywhere i can find you will be okay_

_finally I find you in my mind_

_let the memories flow over me_

_your hands, your eyes, your lips_

_maybe you left_

_but you're still with me, somehow_

_doesn't matter why_

_doesn't matter how_

_when I've got you, I can feel_

Riku read the poem again in a state of mild disbelief. It was horribly cheesy, but passable as a school assignment, and didn't involve kimchi. "Sora, it's… I really like it. See? You can write poetry just fine!"

Sora blushed, looking away in embarrassment. "It's not very good," he mumbled. "I couldn't find words."

"You found plenty of words," Riku said, putting down the notebook and pulling Sora close. "All the words you needed…"

Sora grinned, giving Riku a quick kiss before springing out of his lap. "C'mon, Ri, I'm hungry. Must be all this dumb writing - really works up my appetite, you know? Let's get some food!"

Laughing, Riku followed the cheerful brunet out of his room and down to the kitchen, pleased with the outcome of Sora's poem and glad to finally be done with their homework.

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AN: La la, I liked this one! I hope you guys did too, so leave a review and let me know what you thought!

In other news, I have been listening to Gackt for the past three hours, yay! Gackt! XD Thank you so much (again) for reading! See you next chapter!


	15. So, Which One Of You Is On Top?

Disclaimer: Kingdom Hearts does not belong to me! Neither does Harry Potter. Or Soul Caliber, or Mean Girls, or Sleepless in Seattle (all of which are mentioned in this chapter...)

AN: Awws, thanks so much for all the reviews, guys! A few of you have mentioned artwork, or asked for permission to draw fanart - of COURSE you can! Ahh! If you do, you should definitely post it up online somewhere (DA much?) or something, because I would love (LOVE) to see it. Eee!  
In regards to this chapter specifically, I rewrote different parts of it like... 400 times. This past week has been extremely hectic and, ironically, I am now just as sick as Roxas (waahh). I hope you guys like it, and read the AN at the ennnnnd for upcoming stuffs.

**Thank you so much for reading! Enjoy Chapter 15!**

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The rest of the week had passed fairly quickly, and Axel designated himself Roxas's caretaker. Roxas's parents had taken him to the doctor earlier in the week, and the prescription for his medicine had finally come through. The doctor had said it would make him pretty drowsy for the first 24 hours, but after the cocoon-like sleep, he would begin to feel better quickly. Thus, Axel's job on Friday afternoon was simple: sitting in Roxas's bed and making sure the younger boy didn't roll off the side or anything. Throughout the week, he had gotten most of his homework done fairly quickly in the same situation, so he figured he may as well get a head start on his weekend homework since there was nothing good on TV. He had left one of the Harry Potter movies on as background noise, but since he'd seen it at least 12 times before, he figured he should go ahead and work Unfortunately, the medicine seemed to be giving Roxas strange dreams – he slept fitfully, often inadvertently elbowing Axel in the stomach or kicking him hard in the shins, a definite hindrance to the redhead's homework progress.

Axel checked his watch. It had been roughly 15 minutes since Roxas's last sleepy assault on him. Sadly, this was a new record. The blond groaned in his sleep, rolling onto his stomach and clutching his pillow tightly as Harry and Ron raced down a hallway on the TV screen.

---

_Where am I? _

_Roxas turned around slowly, unsure of why he was suddenly in a cold, stone corridor. _

_"Oi, who are you? What year are you?"_

_Whirling around, Roxas found himself face-to-face with Axel, but… _

_"Axel Weasley, nice to meet you!" _

_"Why are you British?" Roxas asked slowly, examining Axel's maroon sweater and red and yellow striped scarf. "Where am I?"_

_"Go go Gryffindor!" Axel exclaimed, a wand appearing in his hand. His British accent was slowly becoming stronger, and suddenly, he seemed to be multiplying. Roxas was surrounded by a sea of excited, British Axels, all offering him tea and crumpets or asking him if he'd seen Hermione lately. _

_"What? What's a crumpet? I-I-Holy shit!"_

_A large cupcake, looking rather wicked, had appeared behind the original British Axel, and was rearing up to crush the redhead. _

_"Axel! Axel, I don't want a crumpet! I-there's a-a cupcake! You've got to move!" _

_"Don't be silly," British Axel said, dismissing Roxas's claims with a wave of his hand. "There's no such thing as cupcakes!"_

_"What? I'm not kidding, Axel, there's a-a giant, nefarious cupcake, and it's-it's gonna **eat** you or something, you've got to get out of the way, it's-it's…"_

_"MOVE!" _

_Suddenly, the hallway had become a highway, there was only one Axel, he was wearing Roxas's clothes, and the cupcake had become a large truck, moving in slow-motion towards Axel._

_"Go, just GO!" This Axel was strangely calm, a small smile across his face as he stood between the truck and Roxas. _

_"No, you're gonna get hit, I- come with me, Axel, AXEL!" Something was pulling Roxas away, throwing him to the side of the road in time to turn around to see the truck coming toward Axel, suddenly much faster, and Axel was staring straight at him, and he looked… sad. _

_"Axel, NO!"_

---

Crying out in fear, Roxas sat bolt upright as he shook himself out of the nightmare, triggering a loud, painful coughing fit.

"Ron, hurry up!"

Eyes wide, Roxas was afraid the dream wasn't over, but he soon spotted Harry Potter in the TV, and Axel beside him, not wearing Hogwarts attire. His heart finally slowing to a normal rate, he gave a final hacking cough before collapsing against the older boy, seeking solace in his long, warm arms.

"You alright, Rox? Usually you just kick me or something if you're having a weird dream…" Axel looked concerned, draping the fallen blankets around Roxas's shoulders again.

"I think I'm dying," he muttered, letting his eyes fall closed again.

"You're not dying," Axel said, setting his homework down and pulling Roxas fully into his lap. "You're not."

"How do you know?" Roxas mumbled, his words slurring together as he fell back to sleep.

"I love you too much to let you die!" Axel said cheerfully, realizing only after the fact what he had said. "Er… Rox?" he asked cautiously, wondering if Roxas had heard him. "Rox, you awake?"

Peering down at the younger boy's face, Axel determined from the closed eyes and lack of response that he was, in fact, asleep.

_Ugh, I guess I kinda do love you, don't I? Never thought I'd be saying it, but…I guess it's kinda true. God, good thing he's asleep. How embarrassingly sappy. Love. Yup, Ax, you love the kid. Love love love. Lovety love love. You loooooooove him, there's no denying it! Axel n' Roxas, sittin' in a tree, l-o-v-e-i-n…wait… l-o-v-i-n-g-each-other? _

"I…love you," he murmured, trying out the words again as he idly ran his fingers through Roxas's hair.

_I wonder if he does too…That'd be pretty cool… Heh… _

Roxas let out a small cough in his sleep, sniffing before he snuggled closer to Axel, clutching at the redhead's shirt.

"You're still sleeping, right?" Axel asked quietly, tilting the younger boy's head up so he could confirm that his eyes were still closed. "Good."

Deciding he didn't really feel like doing his homework after all, he settled in against Roxas's pillows, figuring he would just rest his eyes for a moment. While he fully expected his plan to fall through (a nap seemed like a good idea), he ended up sticking right to it. Not five seconds after he had closed his eyes, a loud bang resounded through the upstairs as a tall, blonde girl kicked open Roxas's door.

_What the hell? It's like every blonde girl in the country has to come see Roxas this week…_

The girl narrowed her eyes, her angry face almost comical beneath a messy ponytail, a series of thin braids falling out of her headband.

"Who're _you_?" she asked, dropping a small duffel bag onto the floor before striding purposefully toward the bed.

"Uhh… I'm Axel. And you are…?"

"Axel? That's a weird name. Isn't that, like, a car part?" she asked, climbing onto the bed beside him. Before Axel could reply, she continued: "I'm Rikku. Namine said that Roxas was sick, and then I remembered, and I was like, Ohmygod! Roxas! And I realized I hadn't seen him in, like, a _really_ long time! And she said he was pretty sick, so naturally, I couldn't just let my favorite Rox wither away in bed, so I brought some of his favorite movies and I thought we could stay up and watch movies tonight! But now _you're_ here. Why _are_ you here?"

"I'm taking care of him," Axel said slowly, a little overwhelmed by Rikku's fast-paced speech. "Uhh, I hate to break it to you, but he's not up for watching movies tonight. The doctor gave him this medicine, and he's really drowsy. I mean, look, you came in here like a goddamn tornado or something, and he didn't even move."

"Don't be _stupid_, he's just asleep. Haven't you ever woken somebody up before? Gawd!" Rikku pulled Roxas out of Axel's lap, shaking his shoulder. "Rox, it's me, Rikku! Remember? Wake up! …Rox, wake up! _Wake up_! Oh my God, is he _alive_?"

"Let go of him, jeez," Axel said, pushing Rikku away. "Of course he's alive, moron, he's clearly breathing. He's just heavily medicated. Anyway, I hate to burst your bubble, no, that's a lie – I'm kind of enjoying bursting your bubble right now. He's not gonna watch movies with you tonight. In fact, Roxas's plan for tonight involves me smoking cigarettes and playing video games, and Sora bringing up a slice of the cake he's making and playing video games _with_ me, and Roxas sleeping a lot. A nice, quiet evening in which to heal. And in which for me to beat Sora's ass at Soul Caliber. And get Rox water and stuff when he wakes up."

"Oh, and I hate to burst _your_ bubble, but uhh… I already kinda told everyone else that Roxas invited us over. So, um… they're coming. And sleeping over."

"Who's everyone?"

"Welllll," Rikku sighed. "The obvious. Me. Yuffie. Nami and Kairi. And Roxas, of course. And, I guess, if you won't leave, then… you."

"If anyone's leaving, it's going to be you. I was here first. Plus, you're annoying." Axel glared at Rikku, who had taken her shoes off and was clearly not planning to leave.

Rikku sighed again, staring at Roxas from the end of the bed and pointedly ignoring Axel's glare. After a moment, she began to drum her fingers on the bed, tapping out a simple rhythm, bored.

"I like your hair," she said, finally looking up at Axel. "How do you get it to stick up like that? Is it like, rock solid from hairspray?"

Axel simply blinked, hoping that if he ignored the girl, she might leave. Reaching for his notebook and math textbook, he started in on his homework again. He stared pointedly at problem 16, watching in his peripheral vision as she hopped off the bed. A small smile crossed his face. _Yes… she's leaving…_ He closed his eyes, giving himself a mental high-five until he suddenly felt a hand in his hair. Jumping about 3 feet in the air, he glared up at Rikku, who had come around the side of the bed to feel his hair.

"Oh wow, it's really soft!" she exclaimed, tugging on a large section of it. "Do you dye it this color? It's so pretty…"

Shoving her hands away from his head, Axel scooted as far away from her as he could without pushing Roxas off the bed.

"What the hell's your _problem_? Leave my hair alone!"

Rikku giggled, grinning. "You're so funny, Axel! Thanks for scooting over! I was wondering when you'd make room for me…"

She plopped down on the bed beside him, the three teens now in rather close quarters. "Ok, so I call this spot for when we're watching movies. I don't care where anyone else sits, this is the best spot. You know why? You can see the TV really good from here, but you're also the closest to the side, so if you have to pee or something, you're not climbing over everyone trying to get to the bathroom."

"I think you should sit on the floor, instead. That way I don't have to smell your perfume all night. I think you've put on the whole bottle…"

"It's cotton candy! It's supposed to have a strong smell! I think it's nice."

"I think it's burning my nose." Axel grimaced, resigning himself to the fact that Rikku was not going to leave.

"Well, what do _you _smell like?" Rikku retorted, leaning over to sniff Axel's neck. "Cigarettes. And… something kinda manly. Eww."

"Why ew? What, am I supposed to smell like cotton candy, too? Contrary to what you might believe, sometimes guys go for something a little more, uh, you know. Not cotton candy."

Rikku giggled again. "I know, I know. I was saying eww because of the cigarettes, but it's kinda sexy. You know, if you weren't gay, and Roxas's boyfriend, I would totally hit on you."

"Yea, and if I wasn't gay, and Roxas's boyfriend, and if I had horrible taste, I would totally pick you up."

Smacking Axel's arm, Rikku shot him a glare. "God, why are you such a jerk? I'm trying to be _friendly_ here."

Axel shook his head, grinning. "I was hoping you'd leave if I was mean enough. I'm just joking around, so chill out."

"Mom, no! I told you… I told you a million times I don't _like_ that kind of turkey…"

Both Rikku and Axel turned to stare at Roxas, who continued to mumble about lunch meat for a few seconds before rolling over to latch onto Axel's arm.

"Aww, he _likes_ you!" Rikku crooned, pointing to Roxas's clinging fingers.

"Of course he does! Who doesn't?"

"Rikku?" Another knock came at the door, and before Axel or Rikku could say anything, Namine had entered the room with a redheaded girl who had a strikingly similar face. Smiling at Axel, she waved, then gestured toward the girl she had walked in with. "Hi Axel. This is my girlfriend, Kairi."

Kairi gave a small wave, setting her own bag down beside Rikku's. "So you're Roxas's guy?"

Axel nodded. "Yep."

"Which one of you is on top?" Kairi asked, smirking.

"Kai!"

"What?" she asked, shrugging at Namine. "You can't honestly tell me you weren't wondering." Turning back to Axel, she looked at him expectantly.

"I am," he said definitively, avoiding the grin Rikku was shooting in his direction. "Obviously."

Kairi nodded. "That was going to be my guess." Eyeing Roxas's sleeping form, she continued: "So, uh, what's the deal with Rox? Is he gonna wake up and hang out with us, or…?"

"He took medicine that made him sleepy, so… probably not," Rikku said. "Hey, grab the movies out of my bag, would you? Once Yuffie gets here we can pick which one to watch."

Interested to see what movies he would be sitting through, Axel craned his neck as the girls huddled at the end of the bed around them.

"What movies do you guys have-_AAAGHH!"_

Axel recoiled in horror, clutching at his ears as a chorus of high-pitched, happy girl squeals erupted from the group.

"Yuffie! Ohmygod, I got Mean Girls! We _have_ to watch it!"

"Oooh, yay! What else did you- who's _that_?"

Axel glared at the new arrival who had prompted the squeals, a tall-ish brunette wearing surprisingly short shorts for January.

"Rox's boyfriend. He won't leave," Rikku said, rolling her eyes.

Yuffie looked intrigued. "Which one of them is-"

"Axel," Kairi said. "We just had this conversation. Let's focus, guys, _movies._ Which one are we gonna watch first? My vote's on Sleepless in Seattle."

"Nooo, Mean Girls," Yuffie said, clambering onto the bed beside the others. "We can watch Sleepless _after_."

"Namine?"

The blonde shrugged. "Sleepless."

"Mean Girls," Rikku said, effectively tying up the vote. The girls were quiet for a moment before Namine spoke up.

"Axel could be the tie-breaker. We never asked him what _he_ wants to watch, after all…"

Axel looked up. All four girls were now staring at him expectantly. Shrugging sulkily, he gestured to the cabinet beneath Roxas's TV. "Rox has The Fast and the Furious…"

Rikku smacked his foot with the DVD case of Mean Girls. "Not an option!"

Axel sighed. "Ugh. Fine. Mean Girls."

Rikku and Yuffie squealed again, prompting Axel to scoot as far toward the head of the bed as possible, dragging Roxas into his lap again and wrapping them both in the blankets. Namine settled in beside him, Kairi leaning on her shoulder, and gave him a pointed look.

"You never struck me as a Mean Girls type of guy, you know that?"

"Well," Axel said sourly, "You never struck me as a lesbian." He groaned as Rikku attempted to fit on his other side without falling off the side of the bed. "There isn't enough _room_ for you," he said, unhappily squashed between the two blonde girls. Yuffie took up a spot further down the bed, using Axel's leg as a pillow. "No! No, no no! What am I, a fucking jungle gym? Off!"

"Shh!" Rikku hushed him, gesturing to the TV, where the movie was starting. "If you won't leave, at least be quiet!"

"What-I-you-"

Axel was quieted by a glare from Kairi, and he sullenly settled in, vaguely aware that his leg was falling asleep under Roxas and Yuffie's combined weight.

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Sora's head snapped up from its resting spot as the oven timer finally went off. Blinking blearily, he looked at the kitchen clock.

_1 AM? I must have fallen asleep waiting…_

It had taken him three tries to get the cake right, and as he pulled it out of the oven, a wide grin crept across his face.

_Perfect!_

He dutifully waited the 15 minute cooling period before attacking the cake with his famous home-made chocolate fudge frosting. After adding copious amounts of rainbow sprinkles as a finishing touch, he gently cut two large slices out and headed upstairs.

_Axel's probably still awake… It's not that late. Plus, I heard voices up there earlier, so maybe Rox is finally up or something._

He knocked apprehensively on Roxas's door, hearing only the sounds of Sleepless in Seattle coming through. After waiting a moment, he carefully pushed it open to peer inside. Trying to keep from laughing, he attempted to locate all of Axel's limbs beneath the pile of girls. Both his arms were wrapped tightly around Roxas, who was settled in his lap, and he had a blonde girl sleeping on each shoulder. Kairi was curled up in Namine's lap, her legs slung across Axel's, and Yuffie was sprawled out across the entire left side of the bed, resting on both Axel and Rikku. Happy to see his brother's old friends back in action, he closed the door as quietly as he could, figuring he could eat both slices of cake himself.

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AN: I know, I know, where's Riku? He's around. I hope you guys liked this chapter, regardless of the fact that the fanfiction gods were angry with me for making Roxas sick, and thus got me sick too! XP To make myself feel better, I am laying in bed eating Nutella out of the jar and listening to KAT-TUN (ha ha) interspersed with Gackt. In terms of the story (heh), consider this the calm before the storm plot-wise. As in, stuff is all about to start happening, not a literal storm. Mwa ha, I am already writing the next chapter... See you's when I post it up. Which should be in a couple days, once I finish it up. **Thank you so much for reading, and leave me a review to let me know what you thought of the chapter! **


	16. Aww, Blondie Woke Up!

**Disclaimer:** Kingdom Hearts does not belong to me!  
**AN:** In regards to this chapter - La la laaaaaa... XD Roxas woke up! For those of you missing Riku, I hope you can understand why he wasn't included in this one. Err, it just wouldn't be right. Hahahaha...  
**A few specific review replies...**  
**Evil Pink Penguin**Thank you so much! I'm glad you love MSI now. I do too. I desperately want to go to one of their shows... Ahhh MSI. Listen to all their stuff, not just the new (or just the old) - it is ALL great. But yes - thank you for the wonderful review!  
**Txenriks**: Mannnn, Harry Potter and the KH boys are just begging to get together. I mean.. come on! They're all so pretty... XD Thanks so much for the review!  
**Riku-stalker**: Awws, I'm sorry for the lack of Riku in this and the last chapter. He will return! I promise! What kind of turkey _does_ Roxas like? The world will never know... Infinite pieces of Sora's cake for your lovely reviews! XD  
**Auranstlar: **I'm so glad you like the story so much, and have adopted Demyx's nickname! (heh heh, slutface, heh heh) Demyx is so cute.. Thanks so much for reviewing!  
**Holy Virgin:**Gackt in nutella is a beautiful, beautiful thought. Ahhh... Oh Gackt. Thanks so much for your reviews! XD  
**eureka7gal**: Yes, yes of course you can draw! Everyone can draw! Draw, draw, draw! XD Thanks for reviewing!  
**internalfugue**: Aww, thanks. :D Axel is kind of a cuddle monster, yes, but in a different way than Sora. Maybe. Awwws, cuddling! Thanks for the sweet review!  
**Lily Vendrem: **I just got your review while I was typing this! I just thought that was kinda exciting. (Ha ha, sorry for the lame review reply). I'm glad you liked the AN. Riku is around... yea... Doing Riku things. Sleeping, eating, singing Shakira songs in the shower... The usual. Thank you for the review! It made me smile. XD

**Ok, so that was a couple more than a few. La la. Thank you to everyone else for reviewing and reading and being all around cool beans! I promise Sora-made cake for all...  
WARNING: Lemon. Yea.  
Enjoy the chapter!  
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"Ax. Ax! _Axel!_"

A light, fruity scent filled Axel's nose… and… what was that? A hint of coconut? Thin fingers lightly slapped his face.

"Ax! Wake _up_!"

Bleary-eyed, Axel slowly brought the world into focus. The clock on the DVD player read 5:00 AM, and it was Saturday. That wasn't right. Why would he be witnessing 5:00 in the morning on a Saturday? Roxas was on top of him. He was wet, and he was grinning. Axel sniffed. Wait for it…

"It's 5:00 in the morning, Rox, why are you awake? Wait… You're awake! But… it's 5 AM! But you're awake, and… so am I…"

Roxas nodded happily, a drop of water falling from his bangs onto Axel's chest. "The doctor was right! I slept like crazy, but then I woke up! And I feel like, a million times better! Except I was all sweaty, so I took a shower. But now I'm done! And while I was in the shower, I was thinking about you, and how I'd been so busy being sick for a week that I hadn't gotten to do anything fun with you for, well, a week, and-and while I was feeling like shit, I wasn't exactly rarin' to go in that department, but now I feel much better! And I'm not contagious, cause of the antibiotics! And-and I have a week's worth of pent-up sexual energy _right now_!" Roxas was clearly beside himself with excitement, whispering his words at a pace far too quick for Axel to understand this early in the morning. Whispering, of course, because of the four girls sleeping around him and Axel.

"I… what?" Axel rubbed his eyes, dislodging his arm from beneath Namine's head. "I didn't get any of that. It's 5 in the morning. Explain in little words."

Roxas sighed impatiently, then leaned forward to lick Axel's neck. "Ax," he whispered, "I'm so hard right now it hurts." Axel gulped, finally starting to wake up.

"And," Roxas continued, "Since you're half-asleep, that puts me in quite the pre_dic_ament. I was hoping…" He paused, nibbling on Axel's earlobe. "I was hoping you'd wake up and help me out."

Leaning back a little, he eyed Axel hungrily. The redhead looked utterly confused, his eyes still only half open. "You… um…you're…"

Letting out a small, frustrated noise, Roxas leaned over Rikku and Yuffie to open up the drawer in his nightstand. Pulling out what a sleepy Axel assumed to be a small bottle of lotion, he covered the label with one hand as he unscrewed the top. Holding the open container underneath Axel's nose, he waited. "Smell this."

Axel inhaled, the deliciously sexy scent clouding his consciousness for a moment. "Smells good," he murmured.

Roxas nodded, grinning. "I got it last week, before I got sick. The guy at the store recommended it – he said he wished he had had it for _his_ first time."

"His first…" Axel blinked, suddenly registering what Roxas had been saying. "You're so hard it… week's worth of pent-up… predicament… help… lube?" Looking down, he noticed Roxas was wearing only a towel. "Shower…"

Roxas nodded. "Uh huh."

Pointing toward his stomach, where something was definitely poking him, Axel raised his eyebrows. "…Hard-on?"

Roxas covered the redhead's mouth as he slipped a hand into his jeans, desperate to wake him up enough to drag him out of the room, away from the girls. Axel's eyes widened as he gained full consciousness _very_ suddenly, and he bit down on Roxas's finger a bit. Feeling Axel stiffen under his fingers, Roxas withdrew his hand.

"C'mon," he whispered, climbing off the bed. "Come _on_, get _up_!"

Careful not to wake up the others, Axel crawled out of bed and followed Roxas down the hall to the door on the other side of Sora's room.

"Isn't this… your brother's room?"

Roxas nodded. "Yea, but Leon's never gonna find out we were in here. The downside is that it shares a wall with Sora's room. Umm, a really thin wall. He used to complain about hearing Sora on the phone in the middle of the night. But it's not like we have anywhere else to go…. We'll just have to be quiet."

Axel grinned, fully awake now, as he pushed Roxas down onto his brother's bed. "You sure?"

"Mmhmm. I wanted to do this a week ago… Let me just…" Roxas pulled the towel off, spreading it down on the clean sheets before getting set on top of it. "It would be really conspicuous if I suddenly washed Leon's sheets."

Pulling his shirt off over his head, Axel climbed atop the blond. Leaning down to kiss him, he hesitated. "You're sure you're not contagious?"

Roxas responded only by pulling Axel's face to his own, pressing their lips together hard. Axel moaned loudly into the kiss, his hands running hungrily over Roxas's body before returning to the blonde's own hands, holding them tightly above his head.

"Hush," Roxas panted, freeing his hands to unzip Axel's jeans. Axel rolled to the side for a moment to pull them off completely, tossing his boxers to the floor shortly thereafter. Roxas held him off, though, when he tried to kiss him again. "Can we just… cut to the chase, here? I'm really, uh… I…" Axel grinned. Wetting a finger with his own spit, he crawled back into position and spread the blonde's legs.

"Ax, wait, use-nnngh…"

The bottle of lube slipped from Roxas's hand onto the bed as he closed his eyes, trying to figure out whether or not he liked the new sensation. After a moment though, he grew accustomed to it, and signaled for more, batting the bottle towards the redhead before letting his eyes close again. He heard the bottle opening, and the wonderful smell hit his nose at the same moment as Axel's two fingers pushed inside him.

He groaned, slightly uncomfortable as he felt the redhead pushing him open until-

"Ahhh, Ax, you… what did you _do_?"

Stilling his fingers, Axel looked up. "What? What's wrong?"

Roxas shook his head. "No, keep going, it… it was good…this one spot…"

Axel pushed his fingers further in, trying to find where he had been before.

"A little bit… farther…"

Roxas squeezed his eyes shut, desperate for Axel to push just a little bit further inside, to reach that spot again. Much to his chagrin, the redhead withdrew his fingers completely, and when they didn't immediately return, Roxas opened his eyes. Axel had squeezed a good amount of lube onto his hand, and was spreading it across his length. Positioning himself at the blond's entrance, he looked up. "You sure you're ready?"

Roxas stared down at Axel's hopeful expression, his red spikes still extra messy from sleep. "You took care of me all week," he said softly, reaching out to tame the older boy's hair.

Axel nodded, pulling himself forward and settling down at eye level with the blond. Planting a soft kiss on Roxas's lips, he sat up. "I won't do it unless you're absolutely sure it's what you want."

Roxas looked away for a moment, then up again. "Just… don't hurt me. I trust you."

"So that's a yes?"

Roxas nodded, looking Axel in the eye. "A yes… please. Now, before I explode."

Axel grinned, repositioning himself. Gently pushing Roxas's legs up and out of the way, he took a deep breath. "Umm, this might feel a little… different. Just hang on, okay? The pain won't last."

"I know, I know, it's supposed to hurt a bit at first, I've heard- Oh…"

Axel pushed inside, stroking Roxas's hair softly in an attempt to make him feel better. The blond's eyes were squeezed shut again, and when he opened them, a single tear leaked out. Wiping it away, Axel kissed him again and again, trying to distract him from the pain as he moved his legs again, enabling him to push himself completely in.

"It hurts," Roxas whispered, clutching the older boy tightly.

"I know," Axel sighed, shifting a little to kiss Roxas's neck. "I'm sorry. I promise it'll feel better real soon, ok? Just focus on the kisses. I won't move until you've adjusted. Try to relax, ok?"

Roxas shook his head. "I… I can't relax…"

"Yes you can," Axel said, infinitely patient now that he was finally in a position he had waited what seemed like ages to be in. "Listen, you know how when you pull a muscle, or like, your leg cramps up? How you put a heating pad on it and it relaxes the muscle?"

Vaguely distracted from the pain by conversation, Roxas nodded weakly. "Uh huh…"

"Well," Axel said, reaching down to press his hands against the blond's hips. "That's the best thing about having these hands. I'm like a living, breathing, heating pad. In a way."

Roxas laughed a little, Axel's caring expression making him smile. "You look happy," he said, taking a deep breath as the sharp pain turned into more of a dull ache.

"I am happy," Axel said, idly stroking Roxas's erection. "Did you notice? No gloves."

Roxas squirmed a little at the touch, causing Axel to shift on top of him. Gasping, he grabbed at the sheets on either side of him. "You… you hit it again…"

Axel nodded. "I'm gonna move now, ok? It might still hurt a little, but I want you to focus on the good stuff, alright?"

"Uh huh…"

Slowly, Axel began to move inside him, timing his thrusts with his hips to those with his hand, and trying desperately to last for some reasonable amount of time regardless of his excitement. He tried half-heartedly to block out the Roxas's quiet gasps and moans as he picked up the pace, overpowering the sounds with a loud countdown in his head. _Just 30 more seconds… you can do it… 29… 28… _"Ax…._harder_…" _27… dear God… _

Fortunately, Roxas was equally excited, and soon Axel recognized his expression as his usual 'pressure-building-going-to-cum-soon' face. The sound of rustling sheets from the room next door reminded him that the wall was paper-thin, and he gritted his teeth to keep from moaning as he came, a hiss of air escaping through his teeth instead. Squeezing the blond's length and pumping harder, he realized in a split second that Roxas had inhaled sharply, and he clamped a hand over the smaller boy's mouth just in time to muffle a loud groan as he, too, came. Inadvertently, the blond bit down on Axel's fingers, digging his nails sharply into the older boy's back as he found release.

Exhausted, Roxas let his head fall back as he tried to catch his breath. He felt Axel pull out of him, then the familiar, warm tongue lapping up the mess from his stomach. A rush of warm air indicated to him that Axel had slumped down beside him, and he opened his eyes to find the redhead looking utterly satisfied, his eyes half closed, a drop of Roxas's cum still on his lip.

Roxas smiled. "You got a little stuff on your lip, still," he said, reaching out to wipe it away.

Shrugging, Axel grinned. "I got a lotta stuff on my stomach, still," he said, raising his eyebrows. He licked his lips, then wiped his mouth on the back of his hand. "Gone?"

Roxas nodded, eyeing the sticky, white mess still left on the other boy's stomach. "Jeez, it really has been a week, huh?" he said, laughing a little.

There was a short silence before both boys began to speak at once.

"Rox, I-"

"Hey, Axel, I-"

Both stopped, looking nervously at each other. "You go first," Roxas said, curious as to whether or not they both had the same thing in mind.

"No, no, you can go first. It's ok."

"No, you."

Axel opened his mouth to protest, but Roxas shushed him. "You. First."

"I…" Axel turned red, looking away. "I, um… It's kinda… I…"

Suddenly quite confident that they were, in fact, thinking the same thing, Roxas smiled. "Well, I was gonna tell you that, um… that I love you, Ax. I really do."

Sitting up a little, Axel looked up. "Yea, that's… That's what I was gonna say, too."

They sat silently for a moment, Roxas propping up next to him before speaking again. "Well?"

"Well what?"

"Are you gonna say it?"

Axel groaned. "God, this is seriously the cheesiest situation I've ever been in in my entire life. What, should I put on some smooth jazz now? Maybe touch your face ever-so-gently and whisper it against your lips? Rox, you know me, I'm not into this stuff."

"You won't say it?"

"I did, I said that… that's what I was gonna say. So it's mutual."

"Well, but you didn't say the actual words. You didn't say 'Roxas, not only did I really enjoy having sex with you, but I truly care for you, and I would even go so far as to say I love you.'" Roxas grinned smugly, enjoying being able to tease Axel about something.

"Shut up, you know I'd never say something like that!" Axel shoved him playfully, unable to keep from laughing as well.

Roxas raised his eyebrows. "I'm waiting, Ax!"

"You cannot seriously expect me to say that."

Sighing melodramatically, Roxas grinned again. "Well, I guess you don't really mean it, then."

Groaning, Axel rubbed his eyes before shooting Roxas a joking glare. "Roxas," he began, in a mock serious tone, "Not only did I _really_ enjoy _engaging in sexual intercourse_, no, engaging in _homosexual_ intercourse with you, but I truly, in my _soul_, care for you, and-"

"Oh, come on, that's unoriginal, you're just repeating. You can't do that, that's cheating."

"Gahh, fine!" Axel cried, finally giving up. "Fine! You win! I…I love you, Rox. I'm crazy about you. I want you with me all the time, I'm-I'm "romantically inclined" in your direction, and pretty much only your direction, because I. Love. You."

Leaning forward, he whispered into Roxas's ear. "Got it memorized?" **(AN: Ha ha ha, I couldn't resist. XD)**

Roxas giggled. "I dunno, I might ask you to say it again sometime. I kinda like how it sounds."

Axel snorted. "Sorry, kid, it was a one time deal. I'm practically drowning in the mere fluff. Not to mention this shit," he said, gesturing at the mess left on his stomach. "This has to be a record for most cum out of a cute lil' blond boy, like, ever. It looks like I went on a fucking cum slip'n'slide or something. I'd make you lick it off, but I'm not that cruel… I'll just use the towel when we get up or something."

"I'll do it. I owe you. Plus, it's kinda fun."

Before Axel could say another word, Roxas had slipped down further on the bed, and was eagerly licking away, leaving Axel's skin wet and cold in his wake. Axel lay back, trying not to laugh, as he was a little ticklish, and assuring himself that he was, in fact, awake, and that what had just happened was not just a dream.

When Roxas had finished, the two got up, taking the towel with them, and headed back to Roxas's room to get some clean clothes. Axel had remembered to bring his own this time, and he quickly slipped into his favorite gray sweatpants. Roxas located a pair of pajama pants, and they headed back to Leon's room to sleep, figuring there was no point in squeezing onto the bed around the girls. Roxas's initial burst of energy had run down enough now for him to enjoy simply cuddling, even though Axel fell asleep after about 3 minutes. Utterly satisfied with his morning so far, Roxas remained snuggled close to the redhead, watching the sun rise through the blinds.

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**AN:** Oh boy, sunrise and everything. Tee hee hee. Roxas _is_ a cute lil' blond boy, though, there is no denying it. Just waiting for lovely Axel to release the beast within, mwa ha ha. Oh man, that was cheesy. (I hope you guys know when I say things like that, I am kidding. They are ultra-cheesy on purpose, because they are jokes.) (I only say this because I often make equally lame jokes in real life, _knowing full well that they are lame and that being part of the joke_, and people don't understand I'm joking, and they're all "Eww, what beast within? You mean like, a boner? like z0mgz0rzzz n00b!" which bothers me.) (End explanation/rant.)

Hope you alls liked the chapter... next one to follow soon. (I'm happy because I updated my outline. La la.) **Thank you for reading, and uh, the little purply-blue button down there likes to be clicked on kinda like how Roxas likes to be taken all kinky-style by redheads with facial tattoos... In simpler terms, please review and let me know what you thought! Thanks again for reading! La la Sora cake...**


	17. Don't Forget To Fuck Yourself!

Disclaimer: Kingdom Hearts does not belong to me!  
AN: Well, dang. If it isn't another chapter. With no sex in it. But plenty of drama. Get ready kids, you all knew it was a high school fic from the beginning, and anyone who's ever set foot inside a high school knows that that means drama. It's all good though, like I said before, how much fun would an AU high school fic be without drama? NOT VERY!  
Thank you for all reviews and for reading in general, a few responses to specific ones...  
**Axel is love**: I think Riku is just devilish enough to keep the shirt. XP If I were him, I would. I mean, any article of Axel's clothing is kind of magical by default, so it would totally be worth it... Thanks for the reviews! XD  
**Shiyu**: OhmygodFANART. Eeee post it somewhere! Thank you SO MUCH. You have no idea how excited I am. I called my friend to tell her, regardless of the fact that she was sick and asleep. It was that exciting. Thanks again! So much!  
**missgoo93**: What? What? You're not annoying! I'm so confused.. XP Thanks for reviewing (as always, I think you have been reviewing since the very beginning, whoahhhh) I am going to read your second chapter as soon as I finish getting this chap up.. I am extremely excited for it!  
**Lily Vendrem**: Does anyone not sing Shakira songs in the shower? Personally, I sing more Gackt in the shower.. I need to give my friend back her copy of The Sixth Day, but I really gotta burn a copy first so I don't have to listen to crappy radio while I wash my hair. I mean, come on. Vanilla is 20 times better when it's echoey and half drowned out by water and when you have soap in your ears... I'm sure Riku would agree with me. XD Thank you so much for reviewing!  
**  
Thank you to everyone who read/reviewed/faved/alerted! You guys are my heroes (also, Gackt). Seriously, though, reading your reviews makes my day better, no matter how shitty it has been otherwise (which, this past week, has been remarkably shitty). I'm so glad you've been enjoying the story, and I hope you guys like this chapter as well! Even though it may enrage a few of you.  
For those of you missing your Riku fix... he's back. He's extra back next chapter, though, so that's something to look forward to. XD**

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"Hello, _boys_!"

Sora and Demyx both looked up as the exceedingly cheerful redhead plopped down between them, throwing an arm around each of their shoulders.

"Morning, Axel. How was gym?"

"Mmm, well… Basketball. But you know how I love getting back to the locker room to change… Rox and I managed to convince Cloud we had a teacher conference to get to, so we had oh, what, 15 minutes? Alone in the locker room…"

"Ewww… I don't wanna know, ok? Get your grimy hands off me, if that's what you were doing!" Sora shied away, grimacing. "I don't wanna hear about your sexual escapades with my little brother."

"Ooh, but I do!" Demyx said, grinning as he scanned the music classroom for Ms. Lockheart. "Teacher's helping someone with a xylophone. Tell."

"Well," Axel began, pulling his hands off his friends' shoulder so he could use them instead to help illustrate his story. "First, Rox was all '_Noo_, Ax, we should just get changed and _go_, so I can be _early_ to History!' But I figured out the best way to shut him up when he gets like that, because I mean, he's obviously just teasing, is to just sort of, you know, go for it, and pretty soon he'll join in because… he likes it. Once he gets going, the kid can be pretty damn frisky, I gotta say, and-"

Sora made a disgusted noise and stood up. "Come get me when you're done, alright? I gotta convince Namine to play piano for me on the project anyway."

"Ooh, piano? Where?" Axel cut his story off abruptly, looking around for a piano he might have missed. Sora pointed, and the redhead turned, dashing to the piano upon finding it.

Sora raised his eyebrows, shooting Demyx a questioning look. "Is he always this cheerful, and I just never noticed before?"

Demyx snorted. "He just got laid. Give him a break. It's not like you don't have your hyper moments, too."

Shaking his head, Sora smiled and headed over to the piano, where Axel had situated himself cross-legged on the bench and was inspecting the keys. "Do you play?"

Axel looked up, seeming almost surprised that Sora and Demyx had followed him. "Oh, I used to. I wasn't any good, though. Just simple stuff, I used to tinker around when I was bored."

"Like… how much? I'm singing for the final project, and I need someone to play piano. It's not a really complicated song or anything, and I'm sure it'd count as _your _project too if you did it…"

Axel tentatively poked at the keys a few times before picking out "Mary Had A Little Lamb," using only one finger from each hand.

Sora sighed. "I guess I'll ask Namine, then. I'm glad she and Rox got back in touch, otherwise it'd be so awkward going over and-" Eyes widening, he stopped mid-sentence to listen. Axel had apparently just been warming up with "Mary Had A Little Lamb," and had launched into a much more complex melody, his long, spindly fingers dancing over the keys as if he played every day.

Demyx grinned, ruffling Axel's hair as he finally came to a dramatic end a few minutes later. "You remembered what I taught you about chords, Ax, I'm amazed!"

Axel nodded. "So, do I pass the audition? I can't like, sight read, or anything, but if you give me the sheet music ahead of time I'm sure I can learn your song. I'm just a little rusty, is all."

"_That's_ rusty?" Sora gaped, his face splitting into a wide smile. Practically knocking Axel off the bench, he captured the skinny boy in a tight hug. "It's perfect! God, I've been trying to find someone for weeks, and I didn't want to have to resort to asking Rox's friends, and-and-" Sora's words drifted off into incoherent squealing as he traipsed off to alert Ms. Lockheart of the new development on his project.

"So, err, what's the project?" Axel asked, idly picking at his fingernails.

"Oh, well, you know the assembly that we have every year where kids in that one music class all perform?" Demyx waited for Axel to nod before continuing. "That's _this_ class. So… that's the project. You missed the first half of the year, but we spend basically all of second semester working on it."

"I see," Axel said, nodding slowly. The two were silent for a moment, both deep in thought, before they came to the same conclusion, Demyx excitedly taking a seat next to Axel on the piano bench to hear the rest of the locker room story.

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"So Rox, I hear you left a pretty nasty stain on that bench in the locker room."

Roxas turned red, looking away from the taller blond walking beside him. When he and Demyx had realized their last period classes were next door to each other, they had taken to waiting for each other and walking to their lockers together after school.

"He told you about that?" he asked, growing more and more embarrassed every time he spotted to knowing grin on Demyx's face.

"Of course he told me about it, he tells me everything. Plus, even if he hadn't told me details, I would have been able to guess you two had finally done it – he's _way_ too excited for it to be a blowjob, and he's not stoned. I can spot his 'I got laid' smile from a mile away, anyways, its so big I'm surprised there's still room for his eyes and stuff on his face."

Roxas snorted. "The elusive 'I got laid' smile, huh? I guess mine's more of an 'I got laid' limp, or an 'I got laid' wince every time I sit down."

"Aww, you'll get used to it, hun. Anyway, I dunno if elusive is the right word. It used to be around all the time, and it became less of a cheerful smile and more of a smug smirk. Ever since he met you, though, I've seen the less intense versions, you know, Blowjob Grin and 'I-Just-Jacked-Off-Which-Is-Nice-But-Kind-Of-Pathetic' sort of expression, and then there was the 'I-Got-Laid-But-I-Kinda-Don't-Wanna-Admit-It-Because-I-Got-Dominated-Like-A-Frickin-Pussy' face which he pulled out when he told me about Riku…"

"Heh…" Roxas laughed, then stopped in his tracks. "Wait, what? Riku?"

"Yea, remember? Last, what was it, November? I was so proud, I mean, you have to admit fucking in the Nurse's Office is pretty damn sexy…" Demyx slowed, then turned around. Roxas had stopped a few feet back and wasn't moving, an expression of confusion and disbelief plastered across his face. "Oh God, he didn't tell you, did he?"

"He… Riku?"

"I-um, it…"

"_Axel_ had sex with…with _Riku_?"

Demyx stood awkwardly in place, toying with the zipper on his jacket. "It was just a one time deal, it-they weren't like, together or anything, they-"

"_In the Nurse's office?_ In November?"

"He-he didn't even know who it was until they-"

"No, no, stop changing the subject… You're avoiding my question – Axel fucked Riku?"

"It was before you…" Catching Roxas's glare, Demyx sighed. "Yes. But it was before you were going out with him!"

"But what about Sora?"

"Didn't you guys all get together on the same day?"

"Sora and Riku, though, they were… I mean they weren't actually, but they… Does Sora know?"

Demyx shrugged, and the two boys fell silent for a moment.

"He could have told me," Roxas said quietly, ignoring the students pushing past him and the fact that he was blocking part of the hallway just standing there. Looking up angrily, he started walking, faster than before toward his locker.

"Roxas, wait, it's-it's not a big deal, it was just a-"

"He could have _bothered_ to _mention_ that he _just so happened_ to _fuck_ my _brother's boyfriend_," he continued, slamming his books into his backpack before kicking his locker shut with a loud crash. "Just forget it," he said sharply, cutting Demyx off before he could speak again. "Thanks for letting me know. I'll see you later, Demyx."

Before Demyx could do any more damage control, the younger boy had stormed off, leaving him alone in front of the lockers. Figuring Axel might want to be warned about the tornado of angry Roxas headed his way, he set off to find him in the hopes that he could somehow help his friend come up with something to say – Axel had never been good at explaining his actions, and Demyx had a feeling that Roxas wouldn't take "I just needed a good fuck" as an acceptable explanation.

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"So he's gonna play piano for your project?" Riku glanced up at Sora as he finished zipping up his backpack.

Sora nodded happily. "He's _really_ good, too! I'm really happy, 'cause I couldn't find anyone, you know? He showed up at just the right time!" Sighing contentedly, he closed his locker and slung his backpack over his shoulder. "I'm so glad we're friends with Axel this year. I mean, I always _knew_ him, but… Remind me to thank Rox for being cute enough to catch his eye, would you?"

Riku nodded as he stood up. "I'm glad, too… For his sake as much as ours. I think he was a little lost before, if you know what I mean. The first time I talked to him this year he was more than a little hostile, but now he's all hugs and smiles. He's kind of like a clam, you know? With the hard, shell-like exterior, but really he's all mushy and sweet on the inside."

Sora made a mock suspicious face. "Jeez, Ri, you better not be thinkin' of leaving me for him. The way you're talking, you know…" He poked Riku jokingly as the taller boy closed his locker.

Riku rolled his eyes, going along with the joke. "Well, you know, he's just so damn _sexy_. I can't resist his toned, shining muscles, and the way he screams my name is just-just so… beautiful."

"Sounds pretty serious," Sora replied, toying with Riku's fingers. "I guess I should like, make it official and delete your number from my phone and stuff. Or maybe just change the name to Axel's Dirty Lover, which is much more interesting than plain old Riku anyways…"

Riku snorted. "Hush, you," he said, pulling Sora close and leaving a light kiss in his spiky, chocolate hair. "I could never leave you, anyway. It's too late. Now that you've let me latch on, there's no getting rid of me. Plain old Riku will just have to be good enough."

Sora smiled. "Who would help me with my science homework if you left? And help me up every time I trip over my feet?"

"I dunno, So. Let's not find out, ok? I like this setup just the way it is." Looking up, Riku noticed a distinctly angry Roxas heading in their direction. He waved weakly, releasing Sora from his arms as his brother approached them, trying to ignore the sinking feeling in his stomach that something was about to go horribly wrong.

"Rox! Hey!" Sora seemed oblivious to the furious expression that had taken over his little brother's face. "Perfect timing! I wanted to thank you for being cute, because if you weren't, none of us would be friends with Axel, and I'd have no piano player for my project."

"I dunno, _Riku_ might be friends with him," Roxas said, glaring pointedly at the taller of the two boys.

Still not paying attention, Sora continued cheerfully. "I hear you two finally did it, huh? Personally, I think Axel might be all talk. How was he? Would you say he's more banana or string bean?"

He trailed off, realizing that Roxas was glaring daggers at Riku and not paying attention to him. After a moment of silence, the blond spoke, still not taking his eyes off Riku.

"You know, So, I could tell you, but Riku's better at descriptions, so I think you should ask him instead, since he knows just as much as I do on the subject."

"Huh?" Sora turned to Riku, confused, but Riku avoided his eyes.

"You know, since he fucked him. Didn't you, Riku? Tell me, was he any good for you? Couldn't have been that great, since you seem to have settled on my brother."

The three stood silently for a moment, Riku staring away, Roxas glaring at him, and Sora looking back and forth between the two, still confused.

"Riku?" he asked, moving around in an attempt to force Riku to look at him. "What's he talking about? Is-is it true?"

"It was before you told me, I-I didn't… I wasn't thinking, So, I was frustrated, I'm sorry."

"I thought you were joking," Sora said slowly, replaying their supposedly joking conversation in his mind.

"I was," Riku said quickly, "I- Sora, I hardly knew him at the time, if I had, I would never have done it."

"I…"

Roxas turned to leave. His rampage was not over yet. "I just thought you might be interested to know, Sora. I know I was."

He didn't listen to whatever Sora called after him as he stalked away. He wasn't sure why he was so angry. Not so much at Axel – although admittedly it did piss him off, but he had seen the way Riku and Sora acted around each other, and even before they were officially 'together,' they were both so obvious… And they both obviously knew, and they-they cuddled when they played video games and when Riku was over super-late and figured he'd just crash at their house for the night, they would fall asleep all tangled up in each other's arms, not just one of them on the couch and one on the floor, like normal 'just-friends' guys. And Riku hadn't had a boyfriend in a long time, because he and Sora were so… it just seemed wrong to Roxas, it seemed like cheating, on Riku's part. Admittedly, he and Axel had obviously wanted each other as well, but it wasn't the same – it hadn't been going on for years, and Axel often acted like all he wanted was sex, so it wasn't so out of the blue. Yea, it had hurt to see that huge hickey on his neck, but he also remembered feeling stupid for the betrayal he had felt, because after all, they weren't together at the time, and he, Roxas, was the one constantly pushing Axel away like that.

_Ugh…_ Roxas kept walking, pushing his way through the crowd of students to the locker room. He remembered he needed to take his gym uniform home to wash it, so the locker room was his final stop before he would have to meet up with Axel outside for his ride home.

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"Damn, man, it looks nice!"

Axel's eyes widened in admiration as he examined the other boy's face. Zell Dincht was the only other guy at school crazy enough to get a tattoo on his face, and of course Axel was the first person he had to show. Hopping up to sit on the bike racks, he turned the blond's face to the side to inspect the design closer up.

"Man, you must be nuts, this shit must have hurt like hell…"

Zell nodded excitedly. "I thought I was gonna die! But isn't it fuckin' awesome? I saved up for like, 3 years to get this."

"How's it healing? It looks kinda raw, still… Can I touch it?"

"Yea, go ahead, it's a little sore but you can touch it and stuff. Dude, I still can't believe you let 'em go that close to your _eyes_! I would have completely freaked out!"

Axel laughed, holding Zell's chin steady with one hand as he ran his fingers over the tattoo. "How long ago did you get this done? It feels fine, all smooth and shit. Can you shave over it? Have you even needed to, or did it like, kill all the hair?"

"Naw, man, I'm too scared to try to shave over it, I don't want it to start bleeding or whatever. I'm just gonna wait till there's no question at all before I bring a razor anywhere near it. There's hair though, it's just light. If you look close you can see it."

Axel leaned closer, studying the detail of the design and spotting some mild blond stubble.

"What the _fuck_?"

Axel almost fell off the bike rack as he heard the angry shout behind him. Letting go of Zell's face, he turned around to see a raging Roxas stopped in his tracks a few yards back.

"Rox! Hey! What's going on?" Leaving Zell with a quick "See you later," he headed over to Roxas, who was now shaking.

"Are you fucking kidding me? _What's going on_? You think I didn't just _see that_?"

"See what? What are you talking about?" Axel was utterly confused, looking around for something he might have missed.

"Don't even try that shit, I'm not a fucking idiot, Axel, although you must think I'm pretty stupid since it took me this long to find out about you and Riku."

Axel paled, still unsure of what the other reference was, but fairly positive he knew what Roxas was talking about now. "Who told you about that?" he asked shakily, nervously playing with the strap on his backpack.

"Demyx," Roxas said angrily. "Because _you_ couldn't bother to tell me, could you? But you know what? That's alright, since it's obvious you don't actually give a fuck about me anyway."

"Rox, what are you talking about? Of course I care about-"

"I told you, I'm not a fucking moron, Axel, I _saw_ you just then, I _saw_ what you were doing, and you know what? Fine, if you want to be a douche to me, then whatever, but what were you _thinking_, when you knew about Sora and Riku, how could you do that with him?"

"Rox, I was desperate, he said he wasn't with Sora, and he wasn't at the time, and I wasn't with you, and you know what? It meant _nothing_, Rox, it was absolutely meaningless, ok? _I was desperate_, maybe you'll get it better now that you've finally lost your virginity, it's-it's not something you can get from… jacking off, or getting blowjobs, it's completely different, and you know, when you haven't got any in a while, you get desperate, and a fuck is a fuck, alright? _It meant nothing to me._"

"You know, the first time I talked to you, I knew you were like that. And then I thought, 'Hey, maybe your first impression of him was wrong, he seems pretty sweet,' but now I've come full circle, I was fucking right about you. That's all you think, isn't it? 'A fuck is a fuck,' huh? Well, now you've fucked me, and you're already onto your next conquest! I'm glad it meant nothing to you, that's great, I bet it meant nothing to you to do me, too, huh? Well, you know what, Ax? You mean nothing to me, too. So go fuck Zell. Fuck Riku. Fuck whoever the hell you want, but don't forget to fuck yourself, because I'm done with you."

Roxas turned on his heel, his head throbbing and his throat sore from yelling, and stalked angrily away toward the bus stop.

"Rox, what are you talking about? You're twisting everything I'm saying. Come back and _talk to me_, would you? Rox! _Roxas!_"

He threw Axel's hand off as he felt it try to get a grip on his arm. "Leave me the fuck alone! I told you, I'm done, it's over, so just-just get away from me!"

Axel let go slowly, standing bewildered in the sidewalk as he watched Roxas go. "Why would I want to fuck Zell? Why are you mad? I don't even… I don't even get it, Rox…"

Roxas ignored him, a haze of hurt and anger tinting everything the other boy said. He had _seen_ him leaning in, touching Zell's face, and he wasn't _stupid_, of course they were kissing. Granted, he had been behind Axel, so his stupid spiky hair had blocked the whole view, but it was so obvious! What _else _would he have been doing? It all made so much sense – first he had fucked Riku, and not that he'd finally gotten into Roxas's pants, Axel was moving on to another boy. Another blond, no less. Fighting back tears, he crossed the street and sped up to a jog as he saw the bus approaching the stop a block away. By the time he had gotten a seat, his brain had sort of glassed over, and he could hardly even think clearly as he stared out the window. Focusing his eyes, he glanced at the sidewalk outside the school, where Axel was still standing, watching him. Roxas looked away as the redhead tried to meet his eyes, and looked back again only once the bus had started to move, by which time Axel was gone.

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**AN: **Oh I _know_. Roxas is kind of an immature dumbass. But we love him anyway, yes? I thought I'd throw in a Zell cameo, regardless of the fact that I am pretty sure he made zero appearances in KH. Throwing in FF8 characters is just plain fun, and I had a major video game crush on Zell when I was like, 12, so it's all good. Now he kind of reminds me of Lance Bass, which is a bad thing. Alas, no more video game crush. Oh well.  
In other news, I camped out with a couple friends to preorder the Wii, (I actually wimped out at 6 AM, 4 hours before the store was going to open, because it was just too damn cold). I'm not actually that intense of a gamer... I was just there to keep them company, but I ended up meeting back up with a guy I used to know, who is literally Axel incarnate, except his hair, while spiky, is half bubble gum pink and half black, as opposed to red. He was wasted and extremely excited, and disappeared to "cop another buzz" shortly after excitedly informing me that he bought SIX cup-o-noodles for TWO BUCKS, man, there-there were like, SIX of them! _FOR TWO BUCKS!_ I only accidentally called him Axel once, though, and no one else heard, so it's ok. I think wasted Axel might make a comeback, simply because I am so inspired by this guy. Why do these things only happen to me after 3 AM?  
That kind of had to do with Axel so it gets to stay. **Anyways, hope you guys liked this one. Next chapter should be up within a week. As in, by next Sunday. Could be sooner though. XD Thank you so much for reading, and please review to let me know what you thought! Much love... See you alls next chapter. :D**


	18. Talking and Boxing and Sulking, Oh My!

**Disclaimer**: Kingdom Hearts does not belong to me! (Squenix owns them, I just play with them..) Song lyrics toward the end don't either, they belong to Fort Minor and Mindless Self Indulgence, respectively.  
**AN**: Well, goody! Guys, I am seriously in awe. Thank you so much, for the reviews, for the faves and alerts (both of which broke 100, ohyay), and just for reading in general! Also, I was extremely excited to run across the rumored fanart by 14thSquadron (Shiyu on this site) on deviantart in my usual block of like 500 million deviations from the AkuRoku club!  
**Shiyu - Thank you so much for drawing fanart! **Oh wow, you have no idea how excited I am. Thankyouthankyou so much! Axel shaped cookies for you... XD

Anyways, the topic at hand would probably have to be this chapter, yes? For those of you desperately missing Riku and Sora, they live! And will continue to, so no worries. Sorry for the disappearing Riku syndrome, heh. o.o;;  
Hope you guys like the chapter! Next one will be up pretty soon. Thanks again!  
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"Um…"

Sora simply blinked, watching his brother stomp away down the hall.

"Sora, I was gonna tell you…"

"No you weren't," he said, a small smile crossing his face. "Why would you? Of course you weren't going to tell me."

Riku sighed, looking around at the crowds of students passing by. "Come on," he said. "This isn't a good place to talk."

Gesturing for Sora to follow, he led him into the closest empty classroom and set his backpack down on a chair. Sora put his on the floor, hopping up to sit on a desk. Riku sighed again, unsure of what to say. He leaned against the desk in front of Sora's, staring at the ground.

"You should say something now," Sora said, idly swinging his feet back and forth.

"What do you want me to say, So? I… Yea, I had sex with Axel. One time, and I regret it now. It was literally the day before you told me you liked me. Had I known you were gonna tell me that, I would never have done it."

"But you kinda _did_ know. You had to have…" Sora paused, watching his feet swing. "Riku, we've been together a lot longer than we've been… _together_ together."

"What do you mean?"

"You know what I mean. Most guys don't cuddle while they watch James Bond movies, or-or lick the leftover frosting off each other's fingers when they make cake, or hold hands when they go to see the Christmas windows at all the big stores downtown. Stuff like that, stuff we did before I told you. I mean, I knew, and you knew, right? We had… something."

When Riku was silent, Sora figured he'd try another angle. "Ok, think of it this way. Why haven't you had a boyfriend since like, that one guy the summer before junior year? It's not like you couldn't get one. Do you think I didn't notice all the guys who'd get all shy and giggly around you? But you didn't want any of them. And it wasn't just because they were shy and giggly, was it? Because I noticed the others, too, the older guys at concerts and bookstores and restaurants… You think I didn't know what was going on when they'd take you aside for a minute? You'd talk all quiet to each other and you'd blush and glance over at me, and then you'd smile. And you'd shake your head and say something else to them and they'd walk away looking disappointed. It happened a lot, didn't it? And it wasn't that none of them were good looking enough, or smooth enough, or nice enough, it was something else. _That's_ what I'm talking about. We both knew it was there, Riku, I _know_ you knew. I'm not as dumb as you think I am."

"Don't do that, ok? I don't think you're dumb, Sora, you know that."

"So you admit you knew."

"I dunno, So, you make it sound so simple, like we had some simple little lovely relationship where we were together but we didn't say it, and-and that was it, or something! But it wasn't, it wasn't _like_ that, you're leaving out this huge part, this-this thing that _you_ did, where every time I tried to talk to you about it, you'd go running off or pretend like you thought I was joking or something! You're absolutely right about me, of course I didn't want any of those guys, Sora, I wanted _you_, and I loved the stuff we did, which of course you'll acknowledge _now_, but at the time, you just- you can't just pretend you were acting normal the whole time. I didn't know what to think, ok? Honestly, how could I? We'd have these great times together, and we always had so much fun, and then you'd do this stupid running away thing, and I couldn't- I couldn't tell if you were just being shy or if you really didn't want to go there with me! I thought maybe you just liked me as a friend, and you liked hanging out with me, but you didn't want me to get closer, and I didn't want to push it, you know? How was I supposed to know? How was I supposed to be sure that you were gay, even? I wasn't sure, and some days it just felt like you were tugging me around, and playing some stupid game that I didn't know the rules to, and that I didn't think was fun."

Sora looked away. "I'm sorry…I just… I was scared you wouldn't want me if I told you, so I just kept putting it off. I… the only reason I even ended up telling you when I did was because of this-this deal I made with Roxas…"

"What? What deal?"

"He came out to talk to me at school, and he told me that he liked Axel, and neither of us wanted to say anything about it to you guys, because we were both too scared, so we made a deal that we both would come clean, so that if we got rejected we could be there for each other. It's kind of funny, now that I think about it, you and Axel were probably having sex at the same time we were having that conversation…"

"But you see? You wouldn't admit it, you wouldn't tell me on your own, and it was driving me crazy. That's… why I did it, Sora. I didn't know what to think about you, and you just kept pushing me away, so I gave up. I'm not proud of it, but yea, I gave up. I felt like shit, and I was in the Nurse's office, and he walked in with his hair and his just, his whole demeanor, everything about him just screamed "I don't give a shit," and I wanted to not give a shit, because I was tired of caring and getting rejected. By you. Not caring about anything sounded great, and I just let go of whatever and went for it. It was stupid, it was awful, I regret it, and I'm sorry I didn't tell you. I didn't really know how. I mean, what was I supposed to say? 'Hey Sora, nice weather today, I fucked Axel!' Over time, it just seemed irrelevant, and I kind of forgot about it."

Neither boy spoke for a minute, Riku catching his breath from the long monologue and Sora staring at the floor.

"If it makes you feel any better, we spent the entire time fighting with each other. It was hardly enjoyable. And I stole his shirt."

Sora snorted. "Really?"

"Yep," Riku said, grinning. "You know that black shirt I have? The kinda tight one, that's really soft? Not mine. I can't believe he hasn't called me on it, I wear it a lot and he hasn't even noticed."

"I like that shirt," Sora said quietly, looking down again. "I… I can't really be mad at you for this, can I? I mean, everything you've said makes sense. It's all my fault."

Riku shook his head, moving closer to the other boy. "Sora, no, that's not what I meant. My aim wasn't to convince you that it was your fault, because it's not. I just, I want you to know that I could never do anything with someone else now, because it's such a different circumstance. At the time, I didn't know if you wanted me or not, and I was frustrated and upset, so I did something stupid, but it didn't feel right, and it didn't make me feel any better. I just… I could never do that now." He reached out to touch Sora's face, gently pushing the smaller boy's chin up so he could look him in the eye. "I love you, ok?"

"Love you too, Riku," Sora said, allowing Riku to kiss him softly. "I think… I think we just should be honest. From now on. I was lying when I ran away from you. And you… were lying too, when you didn't tell me. About Axel. And-and all it did was make us both miserable. So no more lying."

Riku nodded. "I couldn't if I tried," he said, his face splitting into a smile.

Sora grinned too as he hopped off the desk. "Oh, and one more thing."

"Hmm?" Riku looked up as he grabbed his backpack.

Pulling the taller boy close, Sora buried his face in Riku's shoulder. "You're all mine," he murmured. "No more romance with Axel. Even if you're honest about it. No one else."

Riku snorted, wrapping his arms around the brunet. "Don't be dumb, So. I thought that was a given."

"Ha! So you _do_ think I'm dumb!"

The boys left the room laughing, Riku closing the door behind them before taking Sora's hand and heading for his car. He was glad they had been able to simply talk it out… judging by Roxas's previous level of anger, he wasn't sure he and Axel would have such an easy time of it.

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_Thump. Thump. Thump-thump._

Demyx peered hopefully around the corner as he reached the gym, following the rhythmic thump of fists on leather that was barely audible over the blasting music. He felt a wave of relief wash over him as the familiar mane of red spikes came into view, but it was a short-lived wave. Axel had stripped his top half down to a wifebeater and changed into his gym shorts, and he was boxing.

_Shit_…  
Punching things always helped Axel when he was mad, but usually he would simply get wasted – he saved the boxing for when he was especially upset. He never wore boxing gloves, either. If he was mad enough to be punching a big, heavy bag in the first place, he wanted it to hurt. The school had forced him to keep his regular palm-gloves on though, after he had "accidentally" burned a hole through their last punching bag. Fortunately (in his opinion) these gloves had no fingers, so he could still beat his fists against the punching bag until his knuckles bled. These were the times Demyx was almost afraid to approach his friend, and the expression on Axel's face wasn't helping. A drop of sweat trailed down his neck, and he appeared to be fairly out of breath. Demyx stood in the doorway for another moment, listening to the heavy beat of the music before taking a deep breath and entering the workout room.

"Ax. _Ax_!"

The redhead stopped for a moment when he heard his name and turned to stare at Demyx before narrowing his eyes and turning back to the punching bag, hitting it harder than before.

_So I guess that means Roxas got to him already. And judging by the look he gave me, he knows I was the one stupid enough to tell…_

Moving closer, Demyx leaned against the closest weight machine, a few feet away from his friend.

"Ax, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to tell him, it just popped out."

Axel gritted his teeth, refusing to acknowledge that Demyx was talking to him. The two were silent, minus the thumping of Axel's punches. The music thudded on, the beat different from that of Axel's fists.

_I'm just trying to make some sense in my mind,  
__some defense from the cold that I'm feeling outside,  
__and for a minute, escape with some rhythm and rhyme,  
__and get away from the grey just a bit at a time_

"He asked, after that, and I tried to… I tried to cover it up, but Ax, I couldn't lie to the kid."

_Kinda funny how this world can treat you  
Like a freak in a sideshow, a carnival creature  
Climbing outta cans  
I'm a diamond in the sand  
But you cant tell the difference on a beach full of rhinestones  
_

Axel refused to respond, instead simply hitting harder and harder as the song progressed, finally taking a break as it started to wind down, supporting himself with his hands on his knees as he caught his breath.

"Ax, you wouldn't have wanted me to lie to him, anyway, would you?"

Axel shook his head, finally looking up. "Shut the fuck up, Demyx."

"Ax-"

"No, just shut up, Demyx. You ruined it. You ruined _everything_." Letting out a cry of frustration, he turned back to the punching bag and set back into it just as hard as before. A new song started on the stereo, this one faster and louder than the previous.

Stung by Axel's words, Demyx simply watched the redhead's fists for a minute.

_Molly was a good girl and she knew the reasons why  
Molly was a good girl and she knew the reasons why  
She was a good girl, and it felt great to be a liar  
She's a good girl, and it felt great to be liar…_

"I don't even get why it's _that_ big of a deal," he said, finally. "He would have found out eventually anyway."

"No!" Axel said sharply, pausing again. "No, Dem, he didn't have to find out, it could have just stayed in the past, where it belongs, and he never had to fucking know. Why is it that big a deal? I don't fucking know, why don't you ask Roxas? He's the one that fucking _left me_ over it. He started going on about how I'm fucking cheating on him or something, which I'm _not_, and told me to go fuck myself, and got on a goddamn bus and left, which is precisely why I _didn't_ want him to know about it, because I _knew_ he'd freak out for no reason, but you couldn't just keep your fucking mouth shut, could you?"

"Ax…" Demyx closed his eyes for a second. He hadn't known it was that bad… He hadn't expected Roxas to break up with Axel over it… It didn't add up, it just wasn't enough of a reason. No wonder Axel was so angry. He reached for his friend's arm to comfort him, forgetting for a moment that the object of Axel's anger was currently him. "Axel, I'm-"

"No! Don't _fucking_ touch me, you-you ruined _everything_!" Axel cried furiously, pushing Demyx's arm off his shoulder slightly harder than he'd intended.

_Molly was a good girl  
Molly, Molly was a good girl  
Molly, Molly was a, Molly was a, Molly, Molly, Molly  
was a good girl, and it felt great to be a liar… _

Demyx let out a small gasp of sheer surprise as he fell back, his feet tangling in the weight machine behind him and tripping him even more. His head hit the bench with a loud thud, dragging his shoulder into one of the various metal bars, the jagged area for gripping scraping against his bare arm as he sank to the floor. He squeezed his eyes shut in pain for a moment, then opened them to see a thin line of blood on his arm where he'd scraped the bar. Slowly, he looked up in disbelief, Axel's face changing from angry to desperately sorry as he, too, registered what he'd done.

A younger Axel flashed across Demyx's mind, his tear-streaked face sincere and caring.

_"I promise, Dem. I'll never hurt you on purpose. I can't guarantee I won't accidentally step on your toes or something, but I promise, I'll never hurt you if I can help it. I promise!"  
"For how long?" Demyx said, laughing. "Last year on my birthday Mom promised she'd never date another guy that hit me, and that lasted all of 4 months."  
"Forever. I promise forever."  
I promise. _

"You promised," Demyx whispered, his eyed widening.

"Demyx, I didn't mean to, I-" Axel dropped to his knees, reaching out to help Demyx up, but the blond shrank away.

"You _promised_," he repeated, scrambling to his feet and backing away from Axel. "You promised you wouldn't hurt me… God, Ax, I thought it was just the guys my mom dated, and then it was the guys _I _was dating, and now you too?"

"No, Demyx," Axel protested, trying to get closer to his hastily retreating friend. "I'm not like them, Dem, I didn't mean to hurt you, I swear, I didn't mean to, I-"

"No, no, you _are_ like them, Axel, you're _just _like them, you know why? Because I didn't do a damn thing to you. You're angry about something else, and I'm here, so why not hit me? Seems to work for everyone else, so why not jump on the bandwagon and hit Demyx when you're pissed about something? I didn't do _anything_ to you but try to help, alright? All I _ever_ tried to do was help you! But that doesn't mean a damn thing to you, does it?"  
"Dem-"

"You _promised_, Ax, and I believed you, and you lied. I should have known when you said forever. Everyone knows forever's not real."

Axel opened his mouth to speak, but Demyx cut him off, his thoughts circling back around and confusing him, causing him to repeat himself again. "All I ever tried to do was help, and now this? You promised! I-I don't need this."

Before Axel could say another word, Demyx was gone, and he was alone.

_Alone._

It scared him to think about it. He hated being alone, but it was true, wasn't it? He had just lost Demyx. And earlier, Roxas, and he didn't know why. And if Roxas was gone, then he couldn't really be friends with Sora or Riku, could he? He wasn't alone. He couldn't be. Who had he hung around with before them? Demyx! There's always, oh…

_Demyx is gone. I lost Demyx. I lost Demyx, Demyx is gone, I'm alone. I'm all alone, and I have no one. No one. Demyx is gone._

A familiar hazy feeling started to take over, and he remembered what the doctor had told him, that when he was scared and anxious, his breath would get shallow, and his blood pressure would drop, and there wasn't enough blood going to his brain so he'd pass out. It was a normal reaction, nothing strange. It just happened to him a lot when he was younger, because he was scared a lot. But he hadn't been scared like that in years. The lights were swaying, and the room seemed dimmer, and then he was on his back, and his head hurt bad, and when he tried to sit up he had to lay down again, and the clock read 6:15, he could hear the basketball team practicing, and he knew he was alone, but he couldn't really think. His CD had finished hours ago, and he simply lay silently on the floor, slowly regaining his consciousness for a few minutes before trying to stand again.

_Nothing is right. I am in a bad dream. I'm **alone**_. He walked to his car, gingerly rubbing the bump on the back of his head where he must have hit it on the ground when he fell. He sat in the driver's seat, unsure of where to go for a moment, or what to do. The moment turned into an hour, and by the time he left school it was 7:45.

_I need to talk to Demyx. I made a big mistake. I need to talk to Roxas. And Demyx. And Roxas. I need Roxas. And Demyx. I need Demyx. And Roxas. _

Stopped at a red light, he pulled the last of his alcohol stash from beneath the passenger's seat of his car, gulping down the stale Cachaca raw and wincing at the lingering burn in his throat.

_Where am I going? That burns. I want more. Roxas. Demyx._

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Roxas sighed. He had been trying to do his homework for hours, and it wasn't working. Every 5 seconds, another thought of Axel would flit into his mind.

_You miss him. You know you do. It's been 4 hours, and you already miss him.  
__**No! I hate him. He's an ass. He cheated on me! I hate him.  
**You miss him. What if you saw wrong? Maybe they were just talking… closely.  
**They weren't talking closely, moron. They were making out. I'm completely justified in dumping him! I hate him.  
**You know, maybe you could just work it out. Too bad you told him to fuck himself, too bad you- hey, aren't you supposed to be doing Chemistry homework?  
_Roxas tried desperately to focus on Helium atoms, but everything seemed to remind him of Axel.

_This diagram has the color red in it. Axel's hair is red. And it's so soft, and it feels all nice and tickly when he's kissing your stomach and it falls down and brushes on your skin. And it also has green. His eyes are green. They're so great. Axel's eyes. Yup. Good thing you're doing your Chemistry, Rox. _

Letting out a frustrated sigh, he stood up and threw himself down on his bed, burying his face in his pillow to escape any and all connections to Axel. He held the exhale as long as he could, and when he finally breathed in, he realized with a sinking feeling that Axel had been sleeping in his bed for the entire past week – the pillow still smelled like him.

_Old Spice. And cigarettes. Good choice of places to crash, Rox. With your eyes closed like this, you could almost imagine he's here. But he's not, is he? Yup. You screwed it up and yelled and ran off without even really letting him explain, didn't you? Yea, you did. Good thing your pillow smells so good. But that's right, you can't really imagine he's here, because Axel's warm, and this room is cold. Go ahead, pull the blankets up. You're still cold. You know it. You really screwed up, didn't you? You miss him. You ruined it all, Rox._

_**He cheated on me… **_

_Speculation.  
**I hate him!**_

_Lie.  
**It's over!  
**Oh, come on, you know better than that. It's not over._

_**I'm mad. I'm still mad! **_

"Rox? Rox, mom says to come have dinner while it's hot!"

Roxas was silent, trying his best to shut out his thoughts.

"I'm not hungry," he said weakly, knowing full well Sora couldn't hear him. "Maybe later…"

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**AN:** Oh, how sad. Well, not for Riku and Sora. Hope you guys liked the chapter alright! Thank you so much for reading and leave a review to let me know what you thought!  
**Slightly Unrelated AN**: Oh my goodness, Axel and Roxas action figures. EEEEEEEE. Axel's has got a warning on it because it comes with sharp objects. Tee hee. Oh, Axel. Now, if only he was real... Which my friend reminded me of today when I told her I wanted him (he is a sexpot), thus making me feel super nerdy. XD She told me he was just pixels, but-but... Ok, he's just pixels. Waah.  
**Anyways, thank you again for reading! See you next chapter... XD**


	19. Forever, I Promise Forever

**Disclaimer**: KH does not belong to me! I love the Scissor Sisters, but obviously do not own them either! Jake Shears is foxy!

**AN:** Wow wow wow wow wow, as always, **thank you for all the lovely reviews and for reading and for faving and adding to your alert list and all that jazz! I appreciate it so much, and it makes my lame, boring days much more interesting and funny and great to read your wonderful reviews!  
**This chapter took a little longer to get up due to a little technical problem with my email alerts on my account.. The last time I posted a chapter while my alerts were down, it didn't send an alert to YOU guys that the story was up, and it was sad, and so I wanted to wait for it to get fixed. Incidentally, I still haven't got the email from the tech support that it is, in fact, fixed, but I just got like 5 email alerts about reviews (reviews that were sent like 3 weeks ago, but yea) so I figured I would go ahead and post, and hope for the best...  
Hmmm. In this chapter, much angsting, and a flashback. I am trying to reply to every review using the review reply function (which is finally working, jeez my account gets weird) so if I haven't gotten to yours yet don't worry, I will most likely reply to it soon. If I miss it, I'm sorry!! My goal is to reply to every review from this chapter on that way. Unless you send like 12 reviews at once, in which case I will only reply once, but to all of them. XD

**Once again, thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoy the chapter!  
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"I'm on 14. No, I got that part. Yea, I got A, but I can't get B. I don't understand the… is that you?" Sora looked up from his homework, his eyes narrowing as he attempted to discern whether or not the hiccup-y crying noises were coming from Riku on the phone or somewhere else.

"Is what me?" Riku asked, his voice sounding entirely too normal to be the one crying.

"Hang on," Sora said, setting the phone down and poking his head into the hall. The noise was even louder out there, clearly coming from Roxas's room. Sora sighed. Roxas hadn't come down for dinner, claiming not to be hungry, and his door had stayed adamantly shut all evening. Figuring he was just in a bad mood, Sora hadn't tried to talk to him, but – _Wait… He stopped?_

After a loud sniff, the sobs continued, although a bit quieter than before. Heading back into his room, Sora grabbed his phone.

"Riku, can I call you back in a little while? Roxas is like, sobbing, in his room, and I could hear him all the way down the hall. I'm gonna go see if he's ok."

"Yea, that's fine… Do you think he's upset about, you know…?"

"I dunno. I'll call you later, ok?"

"Alright. Bye."

"Riku?"

"Hmm?"

"Love you."

Riku laughed quietly. "Love you too, So. Bye."

Flipping his phone shut, Sora headed back down the hall to Roxas's room. He rapped his knuckles softly on the door first, and heard Roxas stop crying abruptly. Knocking a bit louder, he called in as well.

"Rox? You ok?"

He heard a loud sniff, shortly followed by a shaky "I'm fine!"

Trying the door, he found it unlocked, and closed it behind him before approaching the bed, where Roxas lay curled up under the blankets.

"Rox… Rox, what's wrong?"

Roxas looked over his shoulder, sniffing again before turning back to his pillow. "Go away, Sora."

Not so easily deterred, Sora sat down on the bed, hesitating a moment before pouncing on his brother and hugging him tightly. Unfortunately, his momentum pushed them both into Roxas's nightstand, causing Roxas to curse and Sora to let out a muffled cry of pain into the blond's shoulder.

"Sora, get off! What the hell are you doing?"

Still holding tight to Roxas's slim body, Sora scooted more toward the middle of the bed. "Snuggle-glomping you, of course. What's _wrong_?"

Roxas pushed Sora off, dragging himself into a sitting position beside him on the bed. "Nothing's wrong."

"I could hear you crying all the way in my room."

"I told you I'm fine! Go away!"

"Your face is still wet, Roxas."

"Sora, _go awa-_"

"Is it because of Riku and Axel?"

Roxas looked down. "I don't _care_ about it, Axel can fuck whoever he wants."

"Rox, I'm pretty sure the only person he wants to fuck is you… Riku was the one who hit on _him_ that time, ok? Don't give me that look, we're fine, we talked. And plus, it was before you told him you liked him, and he was probably just really impatient. You know Axel, he's just… But he wouldn't cheat on you, Rox, I mean, you should hear the way he talks about you. Anyway, I'm sure you guys will be fine. A week from now you probably won't even think about it at all, it'll just be that little fight you got in."

"You're wrong. About Axel. And-and, you're wrong."

"I'm a year older, Roxas, trust me on this stuff, I know, ok?"

"No, you don't know, Sora, you don't know at all, you-"

"Couples get in little fights sometimes, Rox, and things work out, I mean, it's not like you-"

"I _dumped him_, Sora."

Sora's eyes widened as he stared at his brother's hurt, tear-streaked expression. "You… you _what_?"

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Axel was vaguely aware that the car was not on the correct side of the road, but it didn't matter. He had finished the remainder of his cachaca, tossed the empty bottle out the window, and was headed in the general direction of Demyx's apartment. He seemed to be taking the long route, and by the time he finally pulled up and parked in the alley behind Demyx's building, it was dark out and had begun to rain.

Not bothering to lock up the car, he simply left it parked at the odd angle he had pulled in at, tripping over his feet as he attempted to climb the back stairs of the building.

"I hate the rain," he said loudly, to no one in particular, as his face was pelted with cold drops. "Hate the… I hate the raa-ayyn, _3A._ Demyx!"

Realizing with delight that he was, in fact, outside Demyx's apartment, he pounded furiously on the door to his porch. "Demyx! _DEMYX, OPEN THE DOOR._ Demyyyyyyyyyyx. DEM-"

He fell forward as the door opened, Demyx's mother eyeing him suspiciously until she recognized him.

"Axel! I haven't seen you around here in a while, come inside!"

Pulling the redhead into a motherly hug, she closed the door behind him and ushered him into the kitchen. "Demyx just got in the shower, so it might take him a while, he seemed upset." Narrowing her eyes, she leaned closer to Axel's face. "Your eyes are awfully red, huh?"

"I have… a coal. A… core. A cold?"

Demyx's mom snorted, shaking her head. "I can smell the liquor on your breath, Axel. I hope you didn't drive over here. I'll be sending your mom a letter about this, you know. You never know what she might do, like make you stay here with us, huh?"

Axel mumbled incomprehensibly for a moment before slouching into a chair and laying his head on the table. "I hate the rain. Please don't tell my mom. Mrs.-"

"Hush, it's always been Julia to you."

"Julia. Don't tell my-"

"Oh, stop worrying. Drink this."

Axel raised his head to examine the steaming cup in front of him. He sniffed. "I don't like coffee." Spotting the token Mom Look she was shooting him, he quickly changed his mind. He sipped the coffee slowly, trying to ignore the bitter taste, and ate the sandwich that Julia made for him. The two talked about school, and Axel's improving grades, and Axel asked if there had been any new boyfriends, and Julia laughed.

"I've sworn off men for a while. Until I can figure out how to find a good one. I just don't understand them. Men, that is."

"Me neither," Axel mumbled, burying his head in his arms again. He was feeling slightly less drunk, his stomach no longer empty, and the caffeine was beginning to kick in. Not to mention it had to have been at least 40 minutes since he had arrived. He was about to ask if perhaps someone should make sure Demyx was alright when he heard the shower turn off, followed by a brief rustling before the blond emerged from the bathroom in a towel, his scrape from earlier covered by a small band-aid.

Axel stood up quickly – too quickly. He stumbled, crashing into Demyx as he tried to simply walk in his direction. "Demyx, I-"

Demyx shook his head, pushing Axel off of him. "I don't want to talk to you. Go away. Get out of my house." Pushing past his friend, he stalked into his room and slammed the door. This only slowed Axel down for moment, though. He opened the door again before Demyx could lock it, striding purposefully into the room and grabbing the other boy's arms.

"Demyx, you gotta listen to me, I'm sorry, ok? I didn't mean to push you, and-and I'm really sorry, and it'll never ever happen agai-"

"I'm not that stupid, ok? You think I haven't heard that before? Plus, you're drunk. Get out of here, Axel, I don't want to hear it, and you're probably not even sorry. You're drunk and lonely."

Axel paused, taken aback, and admittedly still a bit drunk, and stepped back. "But… I came over to say sorry."

Demyx snorted. "Get out, Axel." When the redhead didn't move, he repeated himself, pushing him out as he did. "Forget it, ok? You broke your promise. I'm tired. I don't care if you're sorry. Just… go home, Axel."

"You won't be my friend?"

Demyx simply closed the door, unwilling to answer. Axel looked around for a moment, unsure of where Demyx's mom had gone. He tried the door again, but found it locked this time. Heading back out of the apartment, he sighed as he realized once again how very, very alone he was. He had thought that coming to Demyx's apartment would solve everything - that Demyx would magically forgive him and be there with him and hold him and tell him he was alright, but now he knew that wasn't true. He was out of ideas, and still drunk, and now he was cold, he thought, as he stumbled down the back stairs into the alley. And wet, so wet, and he hated the rain. The hazy feeling was starting to take over again, and he closed his eyes tightly in an attempt to shut it out. After a moment, he began to walk toward his car again, only to slip in a puddle and fall, his knees crashing hard on the pavement. It was even colder on the ground, and he felt the water from the puddle soaking through his jeans and the water from the sky soaking through his shirt and his hair and the water from his eyes mingling with the rain on his cheeks, and he hardly even cared because dammit, he was alone again, completely alone, sitting on the ground in Demyx's alley. And he wondered what that strange, sad sound was until he realized it was him, crying harder than he had in years, his vision blurring and his body shaking in the rain.

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"He cheated on me, I saw him… _kissing_ this other guy, I _saw_ him, so I-I got mad, and I yelled at him and I dumped him."

Sora raised his eyebrows. "Are you sure it was him kissing this guy? Are you sure they were kissing?"

Roxas sighed, wiping his eyes with the back of his hand. "I… I was behind him, so his hair was blocking my view, but he leaned in close and he was touching the guy's face, and-and I'm _sure_ it was him, and that's… what they were doing. I just feel dumb, I can't believe I… I can't believe I believed him, when he told me that crap about-about loving me."

Sora shook his head. "Rox, he couldn't have been cheating on you. He's obsessed with you, he _is_ in love with you."

"Are you saying I'm lying? I know what I saw, ok? And it makes perfect sense – he's been trying to get me to sleep with him since the day I met him, and now that I finally did, he's-he's…" Roxas paused, trying not to start crying again. "He doesn't care about me, not really. And you know what? That's fine! 'Cause-'cause I don't care about him either!"

Sora sighed. "If you don't care about him, then why are you crying? Rhetorical question – don't answer that. Rox, it's ok to care, alright? It hurts a lot, I understand, and it's probably not making it any easier that your entire bed smells like him."

Roxas nodded. "I was trying to sleep. I'm exhausted, and I wanted to just sleep even though it's early, but I can smell his cigarettes everywhere, and-and it's _cold_. I put on all my blankets but I'm still cold. I-I got so used to having him with me when I sleep, and he's always warm, and now I-I…"

"You miss him."

"I hate him!"

Sora shook his head, grabbing Roxas's arm and pulling him off the bed. "Come on, you're not gonna get any sleep in here, everything in the room is gonna have some connection to Axel and you're gonna think about him and get sad all over again."

Roxas pulled his arm from his brother's grip and nodded, straightening out his tank top, a black one he had borrowed from Sora a long time ago. He stared idly at the long, blue and white stripes on his brother's pajama pants as they headed down the hall to his room, thinking how they seemed a bit more "fun" than his own red and green plaid. He settled down in Sora's bed, inhaling the scent of his clean, cotton sheets with relief. No cigarettes, no Old Spice, just the simple, clean, familiar Sora smell.

Sora got in beside him, turning the music on his bedside CD player down until it was barely audible, the Scissor Sisters continuing softly in the background. "Ok. Continue. I forget what you were saying."

"I hate him," Roxas said again. "I hate everything about him, I hate his stupid hair and his stupid cigarettes and his stupid voice, and-"

Sora shook his head. "Rox, don't say that. You're not mad because you hate him, you're mad because you love him and he hurt your feelings."

"I don't want to," Roxas said sullenly. "I don't want to love him, I want to hate him. He _cheated on me_. He's an arrogant, self-centered bastard who screws around with no regard for anyone else, and he's stupid, and he thinks he's better than everyone, and I hope he gets hit by a fucking semi!"

"Rox…"

"God, Sora, whose side are you on, anyway? Stop trying to defend him!"

Sora sighed again, lying back on his pillows. "Alright, alright. I get it. You're just gonna be mad right now, and nothing I say is gonna change that. I just want you to feel better, ok? Go ahead and be mad, but you can only stay mad for so long before it starts to sort of fizzle out and then mad turns into sad, and when you get sad, I want you to know I'm here for you, ok?"

Roxas nodded and scooted down, laying his head on the pillow beside Sora's for a moment before the brunet pulled him into a tight embrace, leaving a light, brotherly kiss in his hair before turning the light out. "Get some sleep, ok?"

Roxas mumbled a reply, taking comfort in his brother's arms and snuggling against his soft, gray t-shirt. After a few minutes, Sora heard his breath settle into a slow, steady pattern and he knew he had fallen asleep. He considered getting up to call Riku back, but found he too, was tired. Figuring he'd talk to Riku the next day anyway, he closed his eyes and lost himself in the quiet music until he drifted off as well.

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Demyx paused as he pulled a clean shirt on. A strangely familiar sound was coming from outside, but as soon as he stopped to listen, he couldn't really hear it anymore. Reaching for a pair of sweatpants, he heard it again, barely audible over the pouring rain. He pulled on the pants and padded out to the porch, sticking his head out over the railing until he spotted the source of the noise and realized what it was. Axel had seemingly collapsed on his way to the car, and was sitting on the ground with his knees pulled close to his chest, holding his head and shaking and, Demyx realized with shock, crying. His breaths came erratically, gasping as he inhaled between sobs and choking on the exhale, and the resulting sound was sad, and sort of scary, and Demyx could only remember one other time he had heard it.

It had been so cold that night, it was the last time that guy had hit him, it was the last time he ever even saw him – by the time he had returned home the next morning the man had been gone.

_What was that, 7th grade? We were 13…_

-

_Demyx ran as fast as he could when his mom told him to get out. He hated leaving her there. He didn't want to know how much she would hurt, too. 'I want you to be safe,' she had said. 'Get out of here. Go somewhere safe.'_

_Axel always left the window open for nights like that. Somewhere safe was synonymous in Demyx's mind for Axel's apartment, and his mom knew that. Axel's mom never minded making breakfast for two boys in the morning, and she didn't ask awkward questions. Demyx climbed in, scouting the bed for where he should land, but he didn't have to – Axel wasn't in bed. He landed softly, trying not to hurt himself any further. He knew he was bleeding from his shoulder, and his eye was starting to swell closed. There was sharp pain almost everywhere, the guy was worse than usual, he just kept hitting, over and over and – Demyx was unsure of what could possibly make that noise. It sounded like someone couldn't breathe, and he looked for the source, finally locating Axel curled up in the corner of his room, visible in the pale moonlight from the window. He seemed unaware of his surroundings, sobbing and shaking with his head in his oversized hands. His body had been awkwardly proportioned then, tall for his age and thin with almost comically big hands and feet, waiting for the next growth spurt when the rest of his body would catch up. He didn't look up at all as Demyx approached him, and he screamed when Demyx touched his arm, pressing himself back against the wall, terrified for a moment before he recognized his friend. _

_"Ax, Ax, it's me, calm down, it's just me, I-are you ok? What's going on? Can you breathe?"_

_Axel let his head rest on the wall behind him, gulping in air and trying to dry his eyes with his shaky fingers. "Y-you scared me," he said faintly, shuddering as he stood up and almost falling into Demyx's open arms. "I was all alone, and I-I was listening to the radio, and they said there's-there's a guy with a gun running from the cops, and everyone should lock their doors, and-and then I heard sirens getting closer and I-I thought…"_

_"It's just me," Demyx said, running a hand through his friend's hair. "No killer, just me. You're ok. I'm here."_

_"I was scared. I was alone. I hate being alone."_

_"You're not alone now, Ax, I'm here. I'm here. Try to breathe normal, ok? Remember what the doctor said, breathe real deep and try to get your heart beating normal."_

_"I was so scared, what if-what if I had passed out here? What if I passed out and hit my head and died? And I was alone, and no one would find me until my mom got home, and I'd die all alone, and-and I-I-"_

_"Shhhhh, quiet, ok? Stop trying to talk, you're making it worse. I'm here now, and you're ok, and even if you pass out, I'm with you, and I won't let you fall hard. You know what I'd do?"_

_Axel shook his head. Demyx could feel each breath – they were too fast, not controlled, and he was fairly sure Axel would lose consciousness soon if he didn't calm down. He could feel something wet on his shoulder, either blood or Axel's tears, or both, since he knew he was bleeding, and Axel was crying. "I… I would hold you up and put you on your bed and pull all the blankets over you so you'd be warm, and I'd make you some tea so when you woke up you'd have nice hot tea to drink. Ax… Ax, you're **cold**." _

_Axel nodded weakly. "I'm freezing."_

_"You think you're cold all the time, though, but you-Ax, your hands are cold, that's not normal."_

_Axel didn't answer. He had gone limp against Demyx's shoulder, and the blond staggered under the weight, his shoulder stinging and aching and the rest of his body feeling about ready to collapse into a pile of bones. He stumbled to Axel's bed, pulling the redhead with him, and covered his friend with the blankets in an attempt to warm him up. As soon as he was lying down, though, Axel regained consciousness, the blood rushing to his head. _

_"Demyx?"_

_"Yea? You passed out."_

_Axel slowly reached to his face to wipe away the tears, and started as he noticed blood on his hand. "Am I bleeding? It doesn't hurt…"_

_Demyx shook his head. "I am. You were leaning on my shoulder, so it must have got on your face. Sorry."_

_"Why are you bleeding? Usually he just hits, did he have like, a knife or something? Are you ok?"_

_"He just kept hitting me," Demyx said shakily, lying down to snuggle against Axel's chest. "And-and mom told me to get out, and so I tried to, but he shoved me on the way out against the door frame, and it-part of it broke. It got my shoulder when I was leaving."_

_"Dem…"_

_"He was supposed to be nice. Mom said this one would be nice. It's like I-I just, I can't trust anyone anymore. It's like everyone wants to hurt me, and I don't know why. I never did anything to him. I never did anything to anyone, but everyone does it to me."_

_"Not everyone. You've got me."_

_Demyx sighed. "Yea, I got you. You don't hurt me."_

_"I'll never hurt you."_

_Demyx was quiet, holding tightly to Axel's hands, which were slowly starting to warm up._

_"I promise, Dem. I'll never hurt you on purpose. I can't guarantee I won't accidentally step on your toes or something, but I promise, I'll never hurt you if I can help it. I promise!"  
"For how long?" Demyx said, laughing. "Last year on my birthday Mom promised she'd never date another guy that hit me, and that lasted all of 4 months."  
"Forever. I promise forever."_

_"Yea? Well, I promise I'll never leave you all alone. If you need me, I'll always be there for you. You'll never have to be alone again, ok? Two promises. You and me. Forever."_

_"You promise too?"_

_Demyx nodded. "Yea. Not just any promise. Now we both made one, so it's like a pact. And we can't break it, ok?"_

_"I won't."_

_"I won't either. I promise."_

-

"I promised," Demyx whispered, closing his eyes for a moment before heading for the stairs. "Ax. _Axel_!"

He squatted down as he reached his friend, taking Axel's hands in his own. They were freezing, and Demyx was only a little surprised. Axel looked up, his eyes wide in what looked like fear, and red both from crying and from drinking.

"Just because you broke your promise doesn't mean I can break mine. Come on." He helped Axel to his feet, and the redhead was silent as they climbed the stairs. They entered the apartment, and he was still cold, his hands shaking in Demyx's as he dripped water through the kitchen.

Demyx sighed. "You're soaked, huh? Probably part of why you're so cold. Go in the bathroom, alright? I'll get you some dry clothes."

Axel shook his head, choosing instead to follow Demyx to his room, unwilling to let go of his hand. Demyx quickly grabbed some dry clothes and helped his friend undress, peeling his soaked t-shirt off and drying his skin with a large, fluffy towel. Once he had the new, dry pants on, however, Demyx took him back to the bathroom and perched him on the counter, getting out his mom's hair dryer.

"If you just put the shirt on like that, it'll get all wet. So we better dry your hair first."

Axel was quiet for most of the time it took to dry his hair. The alcohol was finally wearing off, and as he warmed up he began to feel a little better. He was breathing normally, but the hazy feeling in his brain lingered anyway.

_I'm not alone. I have Demyx. I'm not alone._

Demyx couldn't help but laugh as he turned off the blow-dryer. Axel's hair was dry, but since it hadn't dried naturally, it hung limp, almost like… normal hair. His usual spikes fell in large sections around his face, and he looked almost like a girl. Axel looked up, then turned to the mirror behind him. He turned back to Demyx with raised eyebrows, and let out a small almost-laugh before pulling the blond into his arms. "I'm so sorry."

"I know," Demyx murmured, pushing Axel's hair behind his ear before pulling back to show him the scrape on his shoulder. Axel took his arm, gingerly running a finger over the scab.

"I'm so sorry," he whispered again. "Never again. I won't, ever."

Demyx nodded. "We don't work so good without each other, do we? I felt… lost."

Axel simply pulled him close again, resting his chin on Demyx's head. They stayed that way for a while, until finally Demyx pulled back, and they shared a cigarette in the bathroom before shuffling into Demyx's room to collapse into bed. The two boys fell asleep almost immediately, intertwined together beneath a pile of blankets, taking comfort in the warmth of each other's arms.

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**AN:** Angst is kind of a cool word because look at all those consanants stuck together at the end! N-g-s-t? Who does that? Crazy old dudes makin up words, that's who. Anyways, yes yes I _know_ it's angsty. Sora and Roxas are NOT falling in love, they are simply being brotherly. And guys, we all know these boys aren't naturally such little angst-bombs, I am aware of this, it's called depth of character and it's what allows happy people to be sad sometimes! I mean, let's think here, Sora, Demyx, Riku, and Axel are all supposed to be 18 or almost 18, and it is a very sad, strange 18 year old that has no serious moments in their life whatsoever, or cannot carry on a serious conversation. In other news, Riku wasn't gonna be in this chapter but he had a phone cameo, so no complaints! XD But Riku is on his way up in terms of plot inclusion, so not to worry. :D  
**  
ON THE TOPIC OF AKUROKU vs. RIKUSORA (in the context of this story), which I have been getting questions/notes about:  
(if this does not interest you, please feel no obligation to read this massive paragraph!) XD**  
I know this is subtle here, but there is a reason AkuRoku is listed before RikuSora in the summary. Yes, they are main characters, but their pairing is slightly "secondary" in nature, simply because I am so mad about Axel I cannot leave him alone. I mean, I didn't even put LeonCloud or KairiNamine in the summary, simply because I know I won't spend much time on them and that would be cheap and misleading. Note that RikuSora IS there, and time IS spent on them, but I am absolutely fascinated with Axel and Roxas and so yes, they are going to be focused on a bit more. This is not a drastic story change, so don't go freakin out on me! My aim is for them to be almost equal, with the scales tipped a little bit in the AkuRoku direction, so it's not like Riku and Sora are going to like, walk into an empty elevator shaft and die in the next chapter or something. There is a reason they stayed together! Both of them are a lot more mature than Axel and Roxas, and their relationship is drastically different, and a bit less dynamic, because of this. This doesn't mean their characters aren't dynamic, or for that matter, important, so of course, of course they are still going to be there and important and overall the whole point of this awful, long paragraph is to answer those of you who have been like "Hey writer, every time Riku and Sora have a moment, Axel and Roxas walk in front of the camera and get in a fight or have crazy hot mansex and leave cum stains on the furniture to upstage them forevermore!" I wanted to let you know that yes yes, I know, and yes yes, it is on purpose, and no no, Riku and Sora aren't going away, they are just a tiny bit smarter than the other boys and thus have a different role in the story. XD

**Thank you again (so much!) for reading, and please leave a review letting me know what you thought of the chapter, or any questions, comments, or suggestions you have! See you guys next chapter, or if you review, in your _review replies_, which I am totally gonna do! XD Have a good week, next chapter will be up soon! **


	20. As Long As You're Sure

**Disclaimer**: Kingdom Hearts does not belong to me!  
**AN: **Wow. So I just got done replying to the reviews from Chapter 19... Oh man.. Thank you guys SO MUCH! If I somehow missed your review, I am massively sorry, and it was totally not on purpose! I have only one review reply that I need to put in here, because it was an anon review and I somehow think it would creep the person out if I like.. sent them an email from my email that was all "HEY! FANFICTION!"  
**Shien**: Your review seriously made my day. It was absolutely lovely. Thank you so much! I'm so glad you like the story. XD  
**Back to the AN...: **Sorry for the slighty delay on this chapter... Things have been massively hectic and crazy and I've been sick and it was Homecoming and then this big school thing, etc, etc, etc. I have the next few chapters totally outlined, so they shouldn't take too long to write. Anyways, sorry for the delay on the chapter and on review replies, but here it is! Thanks again for reading and reviewing.. enjoy the chapter!

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Axel picked uneasily at his fingernails as he waited for Cloud to call his name. He was assigning their teams for volleyball, and Axel wasn't sure if he wanted to be on Roxas's team or not. He had thought Roxas wasn't at school at first; he hadn't seen him in the locker room or in the halls, and since their breakup the day before, he thought maybe the other boy was just too angry to show up for school. But as he entered the gym, he saw Roxas, already changed for class and carrying on a normal-looking conversation with Tidus.

Axel himself had considered not showing up for school. He had woken up that morning curled up against Demyx, feeling hungover and just generally defeated, still a little fragile from the night before, and achy, and tired, and just cold enough for it to bother him and make him shiver, but not cold enough to put on a jacket. Demyx was sweet, as usual, and Axel was appreciative of the other boy's ability to forgive and move on so easily. He had made Axel eat a healthy breakfast, and encouraged him to take a long, hot shower before going to school. By the time Axel had emerged from the shower, feeling a bit less tired but equally achy, Demyx was all ready to go to school, and had made hot tea for his friend to sip on the way there.

Then there was the touching… Axel was still recovering from his breakdown – he hadn't collapsed or cried that hard or felt quite that bad in years, and he was shaken by the lingering memories of how utterly lonely he had felt, and how scared he had been, not to mention the humiliation of being dragged drunk, sobbing, and shivering out of the rain. Of course Demyx understood him, without Axel even having to say anything, and Axel was thankful that Demyx knew him so well. The blond found small ways to touch Axel all morning – taming a piece of his wild hair, walking close enough in the halls so their arms brushed together, giving him a light peck on the cheek before he left him at the locker room for gym. Small gestures to let Axel know he was there, and he cared.

"Axel, you'll be on Team B. And… that's all of you, right? So go on, get started. Team A gets first serve."

Axel shuffled along with the others to the court, taking a spot near the middle. Roxas was on the other side near the net, still chatting with Tidus, and he looked up for a moment, his eyes snapping away quickly when they found Axel's.

_Why are you mad at me? What did I even do? _Axel narrowed his eyes as he continued to stare, unfazed, at Roxas. He didn't much care for volleyball anyway, and he fully intended to figure the kid out. _You don't make sense, Roxas. This can't just be about Riku. You can be naïve sometimes, but you're not dumb. That's different. And you wouldn't do something like this just to get attention. You're not like that. I know you. I love you, and you're angry, and I don't know why._

He continued to study the other boy, who seemed to be trying to be interested in volleyball, his arms shooting out to smack the ball over the net, shaking his hair out of his eyes as he stepped back. His movements seemed a little stiff though, Axel thought, and he noticed the shadowy circles under Roxas's eyes, his exhausted expression. Hearing a noise beside him, Axel blinked and looked down. The ball had hit the floor about a foot away from him, and some of his team appeared to be vaguely upset with him. He simply shrugged at them, going back to watching Roxas.

"Dude, you look really tired, are you alright?" Tidus's voice was audible among his classmate's voices as Team A shuffled into new positions. Gym class policy had them all take turns serving and playing every different position, switching every time a point was scored.

"I didn't sleep very well last night. I was up a lot. I kept waking up freezing, and it would take me a while to fall back asleep each time." Roxas rubbed his eyes as he spoke, moving to the front position closest to the net. While he mostly avoided Axel's gaze, he met it for a moment as he spoke – a quick, almost questioning glance. Axel looked away for a minute, watching Roxas study him out of the corner of his eye when the blond thought he finally wasn't looking.

_You're trying to figure out if I'm feeling any better than you are. You couldn't sleep? Why not? I slept… I was just exhausted though, and worn out. If I had been capable of staying awake, I bet I would have. Of course you felt cold… but what is that supposed to mean? You're the one that broke up with **me**, you're not supposed to be this upset. Unless you only did it because I did something that hurt you. That's why you couldn't sleep, isn't it?_

Axel looked up again, catching Roxas's eye before he could pretend he hadn't been watching. Meeting his eyes, he stared hard at the other boy's expression. At first glance, it appeared to simply be an icy, angry glare, but when Axel really looked at it, it seemed more… hurt. Hurt, and sad, and angry, and miserable, all in one second, all in one pair of eyes.

_You want to be mad, and you are, aren't you? Because I did something, I somehow hurt you, and that's why you dumped me, and that's why you couldn't sleep. But what the fuck did I do, Rox? You gotta help me out here, because I'm not buying that this is just about me and Riku. God, whatever it is, whatever I did, I'm sorry, and you should already know that, shouldn't you? You know I wouldn't try to hurt you. You know I'm not like that, don't you? But I guess you don't know, or you're momentarily so damn pissed that you're trying to convince yourself I did it on purpose, whatever "it" is… You want so badly to be mad at me…But that's not the biggest thing on your mind right now. Mostly, you just feel like shit, and you're exhausted from being up all night, and you're hurt, and I fucking did it, and I don't know what I did. I hate seeing you looking like this. You're miserable, not because you hate me, but because I hurt you, and you want to just be pissed, but you can't, and you know why?_

"You love me too much," Axel said quietly, finally breaking their eye contact as he watched the volleyball soaring toward him. He instinctively hit it over the net, and watched Roxas's eyes narrow as he moved to hit it back. The emotions Axel had previously observed seemed to increase in intensity, and the resentment in Roxas's eyes as he smacked the volleyball only disappeared when he saw it crashing into Axel's face, the redhead doubling over and clutching his forehead, which was quickly turning close to the same color as his hair.

"Dude, nice spike!"

Roxas was vaguely aware of his teammates talking to him, and Cloud rushing over to examine Axel's head, and he felt horrible, and he wanted to rush over, too. Axel was insisting he was fine, standing up again, but the large, red, volleyball pattern was imprinted on his forehead, and it looked painful, and Roxas had the urge to hold him, and apologize, and hold an ice pack on it for him, and kiss it to make it better, and he couldn't believe he'd just done that, he hadn't even meant to, had he? But Axel was an ass, a cheating bastard, he reminded himself. _He deserves it! He… _

Axel shrugged before trudging out of the gym to the locker room. Cloud had told him to go to the nurse, but he didn't want to. It didn't hurt that bad, anyway – most of the hurt came from the fact that Roxas had done it, and he had looked so mad, and Axel felt kind of numb as he changed, and he sat outside his music classroom and smoked instead of going to the nurse, because that was his next class, and he didn't have anything else to do, did he?

_Stupid kid…_

After his third cigarette, Axel heard footsteps and looked up. Demyx had appeared from around the corner, and was making his way down the hall with a smile on his face. When he spotted Axel's bright red forehead, however, his smile faded a little, and he hastily jogged the rest of the way down the hall, dropping his backpack beside Axel when he arrived and kneeling down to check out his friend's face.

"What happened to your face, babe?"

Demyx gently pushed Axel's hair out of the way to further examine his forehead, looking concerned as Axel blew out his smoke, a sullen expression painted on the redhead's face.

"He spiked a volleyball at me. Stupid kid. He doesn't make any sense, anyway."

Demyx raised his eyebrows. "Roxas did this?"

"You know," Axel said, pulling out a fourth cigarette to light with the end of his dying third, "Fuck him. That's all. Fuck him. He makes no sense. He spiked a fucking volleyball at me. What a fucking idiot. I don't even fucking need him."

"Wanna say fuck again?"

"Fuck."

Demyx sighed. "I was kidding…"

"Well, I'm not," Axel said fiercely, glaring at the wall across the hall. "I don't need him!"

Demyx nodded, fully sitting down in front of him and plucking the cigarette from his fingers to share it. "Whatever you say, hun. I believe you. You don't need to yell."

Axel was silent for a moment. "Why would I need him when I've got you?" He leaned forward, pulling Demyx's face to his own, but Demyx protested, holding a finger to Axel's lips before they could touch him.

"You'll regret it," he said softly. Axel made a sulky face, biting at Demyx's finger before standing up – the bell had just rung, and as the two boys picked up their backpacks, students began to file out of the music room.

"Why would I regret it?" he muttered, stubbing out his cigarette on a trash can and tossing it to the floor. Demyx gave him a look with raised eyebrows, and when Axel returned it full force, he simply smiled and shook his head.

"You always were a sore loser," he said teasingly, waiting for the last student to leave the music room before stepping inside. "Even I wasn't this bad the first time I got dumped."

"It doesn't make sense!" Axel snapped, defensive. "Leave me alone! Why are you so bitchy all of a sudden?"

Demyx grinned, leaving a light kiss somewhere in the mess of red spikes. "I can't, remember? You're stuck with me, sweetie. Anyways, there's Sora. Maybe he has some insight to share, hmm?"

Sora had entered the room as well, and as he approached the piano, where Axel had taken his usual seat, he looked a bit uncomfortable. Both Axel and Demyx watched him as he got closer, and greeted him with nods and, in Demyx's case, an exaggerated "Hello, _Sora_!"

Sora smiled weakly. "Hey, guys…" He stood awkwardly by the piano for a moment, studying Axel.

"So I guess you know, then," Demyx said brightly, leaning sideways against the piano.

"That they broke up?" Sora asked, finally tearing his eyes away from Axel. "Yea. Incidentally, me and Riku are fine. I'm kind of glad you spilled the beans."

"I'm not," Axel said flatly. "What the hell is wrong with your brother, anyway?"

"Well, it's no wonder he doesn't want to be with you if you talk about him like that," Sora said, fidgeting with the edges of his pockets. He wasn't naturally an angry person, and he didn't like to be mean, but his night spent with Roxas had made him a little upset with Axel. He refused to jump to conclusions – while he was truly in disbelief that Axel would cheat on Roxas, Roxas had been absolutely positive he had seen him doing it, and he wanted to get the real story. Either way, though, he had been woken up numerous times throughout the night by Roxas, who apparently moved around a lot in his sleep, and he hated to see his brother that upset.

"Excuse me?" Axel spat, standing up. "I only _talk about him like that_ because he broke _up with me_ for _no reason_."

"He said you cheated on him, Axel. That's not what I call no reason."

"You're right, it's not 'no reason,' it's a load of complete bullshit," Axel hissed, grabbing his backpack. "I can't believe you really believe that shit, Sora, I thought you were a little smarter than that."

"Don't take this out on me, ok? Whose word am I supposed to believe, Axel? He says you cheated on him, and you say you didn't, but I don't think you guys are thinking of the same-"

"I don't have to listen to this shit," Axel muttered, pushing past Sora and heading for the door. "I'll see you after lunch, Demyx."

Sora sighed, giving Demyx a "What the hell?" sort of look before flopping down on the piano bench in frustration.

"He's telling you the truth," Demyx said, sitting down beside him. "He didn't cheat on Roxas. He would have told me if he did. We talked a lot this morning on the way to school, and I made him tell me exactly what happened. There was no cheating involved, I swear, and I just- I'm not just taking his word for it. He didn't cheat on Rox. I've known him since forever, and I daresay I've raised him better than that."

Sora shrugged. "But what if he did, and he's just not admitting it? Roxas said he _saw _him kissing another guy. I mean… How do you explain that away?"

Demyx tilted his head a little to the side in confusion. "He saw him? When?"

"Right after school. He saw Axel kissing another guy, so he walked over and started yelling at him, and… yea."

Demyx shook his head. "That's not… That's not right. He wasn't- oh God…"

"What?"

"Oh shit," Demyx said, his eyes widening. "Roxas… he made a big mistake. Did he see them kissing? Like… their lips?"

Sora thought for a moment before shaking his head. "He said he was behind Axel, so his hair blocked it. Why?"

"Like I said, I made Ax tell me exactly what happened. Right before Roxas came over… He was leaning on the bike racks or something, and he was talking to Zell Dincht about his new tattoo. He said he was feeling it to see how the skin was healing or something, and then he leaned over to get a closer look at it and suddenly Roxas was there, freaking out about him and Riku and claiming it was cheating, but… Axel must have misunderstood, and thought that Rox was mad about him and Riku, but he thought they were… Oh man…"

Sora raised his eyebrows. "Are you serious? And you're sure he wasn't actually kissing Zell and just trying to pass it off as looking at his tattoo?"

Demyx nodded. "Sora, come on. You know Axel. He has his faults, but he's loyal as hell, not to mention crazy about your brother. Plus, this is Zell we're talking about. If he had gotten anywhere with Axel, he'd be bragging about it to the whole school by now. In fact, hang on a sec – I'll call him and ask him about yesterday."

Sora waited patiently as Demyx pulled out his cell phone and found Zell's number. Conveniently enough, Zell had a free period, and he answered after a few rings.

"Hey, it's Demyx. Yea. Listen, were you talking to Axel yesterday after school? Yea, about your tattoo, right? Uh huh… I heard you guys hooked up. Is that true?" Demyx was quiet for a moment, and Sora could hear Zell's voice muffled against his ear. Demyx nodded slowly. "Really? I didn't know that. What's wrong with redheads? Not your style? What _is_ your style? …really? Whatever floats your boat… So that's a definite no, then, right? He was just checking out your face? Alright. Thanks a lot, man, I just wanted to get my facts straight. Yea. See you."

Turning to Sora, Demyx nodded again. "Apparently, he's not into redheads."

"What _is_ he into?"

"Seifer," Demyx said, trying not to laugh. "Hey, I don't judge. I dunno if they're together or what, but uh… yea. So Roxas saw wrong, and Axel misunderstood him, and-and that's good, actually. So they can get back together now, yes?"

Sora sighed. "I wish it was that easy. I tried to convince Roxas he might be wrong last night before we went to sleep, but he didn't want to hear it."

"Yea… Ax is pretty upset too. I dunno if you could tell," Demyx said jokingly. "I guess right now… all we can do is wait for a little bit. Maybe after they have a little time, they'll work it out for themselves."

From across the room, Namine watched Sora nod again. It was a shame Roxas and Axel had broken up, she thought. She had just met Axel, really, but she felt like she knew him well enough to decide whether or not he was good for Roxas, and she took the liberty of deciding that he was. Having successfully eavesdropped on Demyx and Sora's conversation, however, she decided that while maybe Sora couldn't convince Roxas he was wrong, she would have a go at it for good measure. Roughly ten minutes before the end of class, she asked Ms. Lockheart permission to leave early, which she was easily granted – she never missed class, so it was okay just once. She checked her watch anxiously as she made her way through the halls, her sneakers lightly slapping the plastic tiles. Roxas had a history test this period, and he almost always finished history tests early; it was one of his better subjects. She sped up to a sort of half-jog, slowing again and trying to look nonchalant as she rounded the corner to where Roxas's history classroom was.

_Perfect_.

Roxas was attempting to close the door quietly behind him as he stepped out of class, and he looked up as Namine approached him.

"Hey, Namine. What's up?"

Namine smoothed her hair, trying to hide her satisfied smile. "Not too much, I got out of class early. You?"

Roxas shrugged, gesturing for her to follow him as he started out for his locker. "Not a whole lot. Just finished a history test."

Namine nodded, studying his face. It was true, Roxas looked miserable, or rather, he looked like he was trying desperately to hide the fact that he was miserable, and failing.

"You don't look so good, Rox. You feeling alright?"

Roxas sighed as they entered a stairwell and slowed to stop, sitting down on the bottom step. He hesitated for moment while Namine took a seat beside him, then looked up, a slightly embarrassed expression on his face.

"Well… Remember Axel?"

Namine nodded, gesturing for him to continue when he seemed to be stuck.

"I… I broke up with him. And I know you just met him, like, last week, but it's… it's a big deal. For me. I've been with him for… Well, now that I think about it, it's only been since like, mid-December, so like, a little over a month. Which doesn't sound like a long time, but it-it felt like longer."

"Of course," Namine said, placing a hand on Roxas's arm to comfort him. "You guys seemed really sweet together… I'm so sorry. Do you mind me asking why?"

"I don't really want to talk about it," Roxas said slowly, leaning into Namine's arm a little. "He-he cheated on me. I just don't really want to think about it."

"Are you sure he-"

"God, did Sora talk to you or something? Yes, I'm sure. I saw him, he was making out with another guy, and then he had the nerve to act like he had no idea what I was talking about."

"Maybe he didn't have any idea, Rox… I mean, you _saw_ him doing it?"

"Can we just not do this?" Roxas stood up abruptly, exasperated. "I told you, I'm sure. Believe me, I wouldn't just make this up, ok? I-I'm not exactly happy right now."

Namine sighed and stood up as well, internally cursing herself for being too direct about it. Clearly this would be a more complex case – after all, it was _Roxas_, and he had always been too stubborn for his own good. Wrapping her arms around Roxas's neck, she gave him a light kiss on the cheek.

"I'm sorry, Rox. You know I love you, ok? I've missed you, too! Listen, me and the girls are getting together at Kairi's tonight to attempt making lasagna – hey, it was Yuffie's idea, not mine, don't give me that look! Anyway, you should come. It'll help take your mind off him, and we've all missed you. Me especially."

Roxas looked unsure, pulling out of the hug a little and staring at the floor. "I dunno, I mean… I don't wanna intrude on your girls' night or whatever…"

"Roxas."

Roxas looked up, letting out a small laugh at the look on Namine's face.

"The day you hanging out with us is considered 'intruding on our girls' night' is the day Yuffie learns to sit still for more than 20 seconds. You're coming. It's final."

Roxas gave in, nodding as he started up the staircase behind his friend. It would be good to hang out with them again, it had been too long anyway.

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**AN:** Yes, guys, Roxas is friends with the girls. NO, he will not be dating Namine at any point in this story, so don't start freaking out on me or anything. She is but a mere prop... no, I'm kidding, she's a real deal side character, but yea. Anyways. Sorry this took so long to get out, I promise _promise_ Axel and Demyx style promise, that the next chapter will be out soon! **Thank you so much for reading, and please leave me a review to let me know what you thought of the chapter! See you all next chapter... XD**


	21. Will You, Sir, Be My Valentine?

Disclaimer: Kingdom Hearts does not belong to me!  
**AN**: Meep, broke 500! Guys, seriously, **thank you so much for reading and reviewing**, I appreciate it so much! Due to a lot of work I wasn't able to reply to every review, but know that not a single one goes unappreciated, and I get all happy and warm and fuzzy inside every time I check my email and I have one (or two, or four, or sixteen) from the FF bot with your reviews. Anyways, as promised, the next chapter up pretty quickly! This one is a bit longer than usual, too, partially because I felt bad for taking a while to get 20 up, and partially because it just turned out that way. Also, I just realized that I wrote in one review reply that Zell was in this chapter a little bit, but he isn't! My mistake! I was working on my outline and got a little mixed up. XD However, there is a little bit of LeonCloud fluff for those of you who may be interested.. XD  
**Thanks so much for reading, and I hope you enjoy this chapter!  
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Riku rolled over and sighed, still mostly asleep in his warm cocoon of blankets. Something tickled his nose, and he was vaguely aware of Sora beside him. He pulled the other boy close, inhaling his familiar scent, and wondered idly why he was there, anyway.

_Of course he's here… he came over last night, when we… no he didn't. I went to bed early last night, and he definitely wasn't here!_

"Sora?"

Opening his eyes, Riku checked the clock on his nightstand as he gently shook the smaller boy awake. _6:30…I don't have to be up for another hour…_

Sora sniffed as he woke up, grinning sleepily at Riku as he noticed he, too, was awake.

"Morning, Riku… did you sleep… um… did you…" Sora blinked and rubbed his eyes. "Morning, Riku."

Riku smiled and shook his head, amused by sleepy, befuddled Sora. "What's up? Why are you here, So, is everything alright?"

Sora looked up and narrowed his eyes, his brow knitted in concentration. "I… Oh! Happy Valentine's Day!"

"Um…? You too?"

"For Valentine's Day, Riku! I came over at 5. It's-it's like a present, I guess, because um… because waking up with your valentine is kind of sexy and romantic, right?"

"Are you serious?" Riku couldn't help but laugh at Sora's earnest expression. "You came over at 5 in the morning so you could wake up with me?"

"No, so _you_ can wake up with _me,_ it's my present for you! I bet you think it's dumb, because you're mean. Mean old Riku!" Sora made a jokingly angry face and rolled onto his stomach, hiding his face in his arms.

"No, no, I don't think it's dumb, I just can't imagine you waking up before 5 in order to get here that early."

When Sora didn't move, Riku leaned over him, gently pulling the other boy's hair back so he could see his face. "Sora… Sooooora… I like your present… And I know you know that, and you're joking…" When Sora didn't move, he sighed melodramatically. "Well fine, I guess you won't let me kiss you, then. I'll just have to force you."

Sora's body visibly tensed, and he rolled over quickly before Riku could tickle him. "Don't you dare!"

Riku simply leaned down to kiss him, long and slow and with only a little tongue, because he knew that was Sora's favorite, and he pulled the brunet back with him as he got settled again. "Still don't have to be up 'till 7:30… so… go back to bed. I get to wake up with my valentine twice, ok?"

Sora nodded, dragging the blankets up around his shoulders and resting his head on Riku's soft, bare chest.

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Demyx grimaced as he attempted to climb through the window. It was a little after 7 in the morning, and it was freezing outside, and the frost on the windowsill made it awfully slick… This had been so much easier when he was smaller. He managed to pull his upper body through, and when he saw the bed was empty, he let himself fall the rest of the way, his fall cushioned by Axel's many blankets and, well, his bed in general. It had been a few weeks now since Axel and Roxas had split, and Axel was, at this point, not open to conversation on the matter. He occasionally fussed and fumed, or made reference to Roxas, but every time Demyx had tried to bring up what he and Sora had figured out, he would get angry and stomp off. From what Sora had said, Roxas was the same way – neither of them wanted to think, hear, or talk about it, and it was becoming apparent it would take a less direct approach to get the point across. While Axel was still obviously miserable without Roxas, his misery seemed a little less strong than it had originally been, and he went through his days fairly normally, hanging out mostly with Demyx. He and Sora were on good terms again, and they worked away at their music project every day. Ms. Lockheart had dropped the bomb a few days ago that accompanying Sora on piano would not be good enough for his project, and to make up for missing first semester, he could either do one piece on his own or collaborate on two. Naturally, Axel chose to collaborate on two, and he and Demyx were working on their own project – Demyx on guitar and Axel was, much to the disbelief of all who knew him, going to sing.

Incidentally, Demyx heard an impromptu rehearsal echoing from the bathroom as he collected himself, making sure he hadn't broken any bones before padding into the bathroom, completely disregarding the fact that most people like to shower without anyone else standing around.

"Happy V-Day, babe!" he called out, giving at least a vocal warning before he opened the door. Axel's shower solo stopped abruptly, and he stuck his head out from around the shower curtain.

"How'd you get in here?" he asked, letting go of the curtain and going back to his previous hair-washing.

"Hello to you too," Demyx said jokingly, perching himself on the bathroom counter and examining his fingernails. "Window, of course. You almost done in there? You're steaming up the mirror. Come out already, I want to say good morning."

"Yea, yea, lemme get the soap out of my hair, ok?"

Demyx sighed and reached for the sink, turning the faucet all the way to hot. He heard Axel gasp as the shower turned cold, and giggled as he heard the redhead cursing. A wet hand emerged from around the shower curtain and managed to get a hold on him, pulling him off the counter, but Demyx freed himself and turned the sink off.

"You know," Axel said, his smile audible in his voice as he turned the shower off. "That was completely unnecessary, and kind of cruel. Hand me my towel?"

Demyx pulled a thin, scraggly towel from the bar by the sink and handed it into the shower, grinning when Axel emerged a moment later, the towel hanging off his bony hips. He re-perched himself on the counter as Axel turned to the sink to brush his teeth, and nodded to Axel as he noticed a thin chain around the redhead's neck.

"I like this," he said, reaching out to touch the chain. "Where'd it come from? I never noticed it before."

"Oh…" Axel's hand went immediately to the chain as well, and his previously animated face fell. "I… I guess I should take it off. Um… Roxas made it for me, for Hanukkah, and I've had it on ever since. I got so used to having it on, I just kinda forgot about it." He paused for a moment, fingering the chain and staring at it in the mirror. "It's Valentine's Day," he said quietly. After another silent moment, he blinked and shook himself out of his thoughts. Reaching back for the clasp, he turned to Demyx. "I can't believe I've had it on all this time."

Demyx smacked his hands away before he could take it off, making a small noise of protest. "It _is_ Valentine's Day, and Valentine's Day is about love, and-and I think you should leave it on."

"But-"

"Oh, don't even _try_ to go there, I think we both know you still love him."

Axel gave Demyx an angry glare, but said nothing, staring at the chain in the mirror again before lowering his hands. "Whatever. I don't need him." A broad grin lighting up his face again, he took one of Demyx's hands. "Speaking of which, will you, sir, be my valentine?"

"Er… I…"

Axel narrowed his eyes. "No! Wrong. The right answer to that question is 'Of course, my dear,' and then you give me a little Demyx kiss and we share a smoke and I brush my teeth."

"Well, of course I'll be your valentine, it's just… um… there isn't a rule that you can only have one, right?"

Stopping completely in his teeth-brushing and setting his toothbrush down, Axel's grin got even wider than before. "Oh my God, Demyx has a crush."

"I-I-it's just a little one, though… Okay, a big one… Okay, so I think I'm completely and madly in love."

"With _who_? Oh my God, you're completely and madly in love and you didn't even _tell _me? Who's the lucky guy? He better be pretty damn impressive, since you're ditching me on Valentine's Day for him."

"I'm not ditching you! I said I'd be your valentine! I just wanted to make sure that you could have more than one, just in case, and-and I don't think he likes me anyway, so it doesn't matter…" Demyx was turning increasingly red, and he avoided Axel's stare.

"Ok, ok, either way, who?"

"Um…" Demyx finally looked up, looking hopelessly embarrassed. "You know, um… Zexion?"

Axel's eyes widened and his eyebrows shot up. He blinked a few times in disbelief. "Zexion, as in, Little Emo? You have a _thing_ for Little Emo?"

"Don't call him that!" Demyx squealed, smacking Axel's arm as the other boy began to laugh. "He has a _name_!"

"I-You're the one that made it up! I-I can't believe it, you-you must be _shitting me_, Demyx, you have a crush on Little Emo?"

"I had a _math project_ with him, and I went to his house, and his room, and-and he's actually really sweet, and funny, and smart, he's-he's just quiet, and he has a really good sense of humor, and-and he smells _divine_, and he made these _amazing_ drinks for us to have while we worked, and his room is totally not even emo at all."

Axel simply stared in disbelief, speechless.

"Did you know," Demyx continued, his love-struck expression hilariously sincere, "Did you know he has blue eyes? They're lovely."

"I wasn't aware you could see the color of his eyes through all the fucking mascara he wears," Axel said, looking a little disgusted as he spat out his toothpaste.

"It's not mascara, it's _eyeliner_, and he doesn't wear _that _much!"

Axel shook his head, trying not to laugh as he swished his mouthwash around. After spitting it out, he gave Demyx a long look before heading into his room.

"I can't believe you'd pick Little fucking Emo over me," he muttered, pulling on a pair of boxers and some faded jeans.

"Ax, it's different, I didn't pick him over you, I picked him _and_ you!" Wrapping his arms around Axel's waist, he gave him a pouty look. "You're my first and foremost valentine, ok? Don't be mad."

Axel shook his head again, grinning. "Oh, I'm not actually mad or anything, I just think it's fucking hilarious. I can't even believe it, Dem, I mean, the kid is so fucking weird. For instance, _for instance_, let me finish! _For instance_, the other day I'm at lunch with Sora and Riku, and I'm, you know, eating my apple, minding my own business, carrying on conversation with Riku about something, and Little Emo walks by. I hardly even noticed, because he has a habit of doing that sometimes, you know, walking by, and I'm pretty used to it. People do it all the time, so why can't he? But then he stops, like, really abruptly, and does a double take, and comes back to our table, and we're like… yes? Hello? Can we help you? And he gives me this big-ass grin and goes, 'Axel, you smell really nice today. Are you using new shampoo or something?' I mean, what the _fuck_? Yea, I was using a different shampoo than I normally do, but how the hell did he know? It's not that… fragrant."

"Incidentally, it does smell really nice, if it's the shampoo you just used. It's kind of… fruity, in a good way, though, and… is that coconut? I can't tell..."

Axel nodded. "Uh huh, I really like it, it took me a while to find it, because I couldn't remember the brand, but I was at Walgreen's the other day, and I had some time to kill, so I smelled all the shampoos trying to find it, and then I found it, and like, the guy at the checkout did _not_ understand, he told me it was girl shampoo, and I was like, um, no, it's not girl shampoo, because I know personally some boys that use it, and he was like 'give me one example,' and I was like 'umm, my ex-boyfriend,' and he just like, laughed really hard, and he was like 'exactly, dude' and like, I wanted to smack him. But I didn't."

Demyx sighed as he watched Axel's smile fade a little, his thinly veiled misery showing through. "Babe, you're using Roxas's shampoo?"

"It just smells really nice," he said half-heartedly, picking at his fingernails as he put his usual gloves on. He felt Demyx's fingers intertwining with his own, and his normal grin split across his face again. "I still can't believe you like Little Emo."

"He has a name!"

Axel attempted to defend himself from Demyx's slaps as he dove into his closet, looking for a shirt to wear. "Alright, alright! Little Zexion Emo it is, happy? Help me find a shirt. The ones in the pile are dirty."

"They're all in a pile," Demyx said, unearthing a soft, gray t-shirt. "Hey, I remember this one, it's all soft and stuff. You used to have a black one just like it, you should wear that one. It's snuggly."

"I haven't seen it in a while, I remember something happened to it but I can't remember exactly… oh… Dammit, Riku!"

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"He really hasn't noticed you still have it?" Sora asked, feeling the black t-shirt between his fingers. "It's so soft… can I wear it today?"

Riku nodded from across the room, pulling on his old, brown, staff sweatshirt from the previous summer, when he had worked at Camp Friendly, a local day camp for middle school girls interested in basketball. He had coached a team of seven 13-year-old girls, all of whom tried to flirt with him on a regular basis, regardless of the fact that he was too old for them, a coach, and not interested. For some reason, though, he still really liked the sweatshirt, regardless of the fact that it all it was was a dark brown zip-up hoodie, the word 'staff' printed in large, white letters across the front and back.

"I have a surprise for you tonight," Riku said, grabbing his keys as the other boy slipped the shirt over his head.

"Yea? What is it?"

"Like I'd tell you," he replied, ruffling Sora's hair. "…Your parents are out of town, right?"

Sora nodded. "They're probably at the airport right now. Dad's got a business trip, and Mom decided to take her vacation days and go with him."

"Good."

Sora raised his eyebrows. "Why? Rox is gonna be home tonight, if you're thinking we'll have the house to ourselves or something."

Riku shrugged, smiling enigmatically. "And? Ready to go?"

Sora nodded, grabbing his backpack from the floor. "Figures, we have school on what could be the best holiday ever…"

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_This is by far the worst holiday ever._  
Roxas watched sullenly from his locker as another happy couple walked by, hand in hand. There seemed to be hordes of them – it was as if everyone else in the whole school had paired off, and they were all passing by at the same time, kissing and touching and feeding each other chocolate. Roxas narrowed his eyes at a couple across the hall from him.

_How lame._ _I bet that guy could eat the chocolate himself, he doesn't need you to feed it to him, dumbass. What a bitch. Girls can be so dumb. She's fucking tall, too, and why does she still have her hood up if she's- fuck, Axel? _

The 'girl' pushed her hood off, revealing a mane of red spikes that could only mean one thing – Axel. Now that the boy had turned a little, Roxas realized he was looking at Axel and Demyx, feeding each other chocolate in the hall.

_I guess they're probably together now. That would make sense. _

He tried, but couldn't tear his eyes away from them. The most he could do was narrow them into a glare, which he focused on the two boys as they laughed and talked.

_Not jealous. Not jealous. Not jealous._

Demyx was fixing a piece of Axel's hair, and when he leaned up close to his face, the redhead playfully licked his nose.

_Not jealous…_

Axel said something, obviously teasing the other boy, and Demyx smacked him on the arm. Axel simply laughed, leaning back against the locker next to Demyx's and lighting up a cigarette.

_How can he just smoke in the hallway? Doesn't somebody notice? Someone should do something about it! I hope the fire alarm goes off and he gets kicked out of school._

"Only a little bitter today, huh?"

Roxas started as he noticed Rikku beside him, the blonde decked out in various shades of red, pink, and white for the holiday. He had been hanging out with his old friends more, and he had regained his closeness with Namine, this time extending it to Rikku as well. He had been fairly close with her before, but in the time they had grown apart, she had grown up a little, and she was lot easier to be around now. While she was still immature and impulsive, she was capable of having a serious conversation now, and Roxas found he actually enjoyed her company.

Finally averting his eyes from the scene across the hall, he sighed. "Valentine's Day is a crap holiday. Why are you all dressed up? I think I'll boycott it. No hugs, no kisses, no fucking chocolate."

"No way!" Rikku cried, throwing her arms around his waist and hugging him tightly. "You can't let one little breakup ruin your life, Rox. And you can _not_ let that _one guy_ get the better of you! Puh-_lease_ don't tell me you're jealous of _Demyx_, because that would just be _too much_!"

Roxas mumbled inaudibly, leaning his head back against his locker. "I'm just tired, ok? I'm so tired. I am so tired of feeling like shit."

Rikku sighed, placing a hand on his shoulder in an attempt to comfort him. "Rox… don't feel like shit. Valentine's Day is fun, ok?"

"Not if you have no valentine," he said, sulking.

"Who says you have no valentine?" Rikku asked, grinning as she grabbed Roxas's hand. "I'll be your valentine! I didn't have one before, either! Actually, well, other than Yuffie, and Kai, and Nami, and this guy in my science class, and-and-but you're my _real_ valentine, ok?"

Roxas couldn't help but smile as she dragged him away from his locker, but as they headed down the hall to class, they got closer and closer to Demyx and Axel, who were still happily chattering away, and Roxas found himself getting increasingly jealous and angry. Pulling Rikku off to the side again, he leaned against another locker.

"I just can't handle this right now, I'm sorry. I just-he's-he's totally fine, and I'm not. And I-I don't want him to know, and we're about to walk past them, and-and he'll know, he'll know I'm miserable, and-"

"Shhhh," Rikku said, placing a finger on Roxas's lips. "Do you need him?"

Roxas shook his head angrily.

"Then show him! Come on, you have a valentine, so go ahead and flaunt it-er… me!"

"But-"

"Come _on_!"

Rikku dragged Roxas back out into the middle of the hallway, striding purposefully past Axel and Demyx. But when she was just a few steps beyond them, she let a small, pink card drop from her hand.

"Oh! Rox, hun, could you grab that for me?"

Roxas gave her a questioning look, but bent down to pick up the valentine anyway. Handing it back to her, he tried to smile, regardless of the fact that Axel and Demyx were both looking at him now.

"Thanks, babe!" Rikku squealed, wrapping her arms around his neck and giving him a quick peck on the cheek.

"Yea, any… anytime," Roxas said, his voice trailing off as he spotted Axel's hand, which was holding tightly to Demyx's. A sudden wave of jealousy came over him, and then a sudden calm as he turned to Rikku, one hand under her chin as he pulled her closer, his lips meeting hers hard. He opened his eyes as he pulled away from her, the kiss had seemed like it lasted forever, and immediately his eyes went to Axel.

The redhead looked purely shocked, but as he met Roxas's eyes, a wall went up, and he looked cold and indifferent instead. Roxas was fairly shocked too – he had surprised himself, and he wasn't exactly happy. Not to mention how different it was to kiss a girl – her lips were softer, slicker than Axel's had always been, and she had some fruity tasting lip gloss on. He wasn't sure he liked it, and he missed the rough, real taste that Axel always had. The rough, real taste that Demyx was sure to be enjoying, Roxas thought, as he watched Axel shove the blond against his locker, his tongue darting into the other boy's mouth and their hips pressed hard against each other.

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Axel tried to ignore all the thoughts running through his head as he plunged his tongue once more into Demyx's mouth, his hands clutching at the smaller boy desperately and his lungs burning as he ran out of air. He finally gave up, pulling away from the blond as he inhaled, and when he turned around, Roxas and Rikku had already gone. He watched her swishy pink miniskirt disappear into the sea of students further down the hall, then banged his fist against Demyx's locker.

"_Are you fucking joking me, God? _I knew she was a bitch. I knew she was a bitch the second I fucking met her!"

Demyx simply shook his head, laughing a little as he tried to catch his breath. "You could have warned me before you did that," he said, straightening out his shirt.

"Did you _see that_?" Axel cried, gesturing down the hall. "He was with a girl! He was _kissing_ that _girl_!"

"Ax, he's probably not really _with_ her…"

"How can you _say _that? She called him babe, ok? And he was _kissing_ her, like-like with his _mouth_, Demyx, do you understand? Did you _see it_? Do you know how long it took – do you _know how long it took_ before he would let me kiss him? It-it was a long time! And he just-just _kisses_ her here in the _hallway_ like-like it's no big deal or something!"

Demyx shrugged. "Ax, _you_ just kissed _me_ in the hallway like it was no big deal, and we're not together. I think you're overreacting, ok? Maybe he wasn't kissing her because they're together. Maybe he was kissing her because he wanted you to _think_ he was with her, but really he's not, so you're just falling for his trick to make you think he doesn't miss you, when really he does."

"You are so full of shit, you know that? I _saw him_ kissing her."

"I'm not saying he didn't kiss her, Ax, I'm saying- ok, did you notice him watching us for like, 10 minutes before she even showed up?"

"What?" Axel's face softened, his eyebrows finally relaxing from their angled, angry position. "He was watching me? Like-like how watching, like creepy, I'm-Gonna-Knife-You watching or like, um, Wistful-I-Miss-You watching?"

"Neither," Demyx said, finally getting his last book out and closing his locker. "It was more of a… Well, he looked kind of blank, and then he looked kind of pissed, and then he just looked sad. I guess it was sort of a Wistful-I-Miss-You watch. Actually, well… Ok, both."

Axel grimaced, staring at the floor. "He was _kissing_ that girl."

Demyx nodded. "That he was."

Axel continued to stare at the floor for a moment before turning to hug Demyx, his tall frame seeming to crumple into Demyx's arms. "Dem, I kinda miss him."

"I know."

"I don't need him," Axel said fiercely, mostly to himself, as he held Demyx tighter. "I don't… I… Demyx, what the hell is wrong with me?"

Pulling back, Demyx studied Axel's saddened expression. "You need him," he said finally.

"How is that even possible? I was fine before I knew him!"

"And then you met him, and everything changed."

Axel nodded slowly, pressing his fingers to his temples. "Dem, you got any weed on you?"

"Nope," Demyx said cheerfully, grabbing Axel's arm and heading to class. "Even if I did, I wouldn't give it to you. Come on, come on, cheer up, you've got things to do, people to see, sexy to bring back…"

Demyx continued to chatter as they walked down the hall, and by the time they reached class, Axel had cheered significantly, under the hope that maybe Demyx was right, and Roxas wasn't _really_ with Rikku, and that it _was _a Wistful-I-Miss-You watch.

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Roxas blearily opened his eyes as he heard a crash in the kitchen. He checked his watch and sighed – it was past midnight, and as he brought the living room into focus, he realized he had fallen asleep watching TV again. Rikku had made him promise to go to a Valentine's Day party, but by the time school was out, he just felt exhausted, and chose instead to go home. She had commended him on his skillful 'flaunting of valentine,' but he felt strange about it, still, and couldn't get the look on Axel's face out of his mind… Riku and Sora had gone off around 5 for dinner at some Italian restaurant, one that was supposedly massively expensive, but since Riku knew a guy that worked there, they got to eat in the back for half price. Sora loved Italian food, so it made sense, and judging by the noise the two were making as they came back in, they hadn't just enjoyed the food. Leaning his head back against the couch cushions, Roxas closed his eyes, the hushed dialogue of Riku and Sora layered over the quiet noise of the TV.

"Riku, _shhhh_, Riku, Roxas is probably asleep, shut up!"

Roxas heard hushed laughter and another crash, one that sounded distinctly like one of their kitchen chairs hitting the ground. He sighed as he listened, half interested, half bored.

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"Were these always here? Did you get new chairs?" Riku tried to right the chair he had knocked over, wobbling a little as he dropped his keys on Sora's counter.

"Shhhh, Riku, Riku, I'm _drunk_, I'm so drunk, Riku, I am-I-shit!"

"What? What's wrong?"

"I want a root beer float, Riku."

Riku paused, leaning across the counter to look at Sora. "A root beer float?" he repeated, not sure he understood.

"A root beer float," Sora whispered, his eyes wide.

"You know what I want, Sora?"

"What?" Sora looked absolutely fascinated, his face inches from Riku's as they spoke.

"A hot fudge sundae."

Sora nodded vigorously, his hair falling in his eyes. "Me too. Me too. Riku, I really, um, I really liked the, um, the-the champagne, and the, um, the, Riku…"

"And you know what? I don't want it in a cup _or_ in a cone," Riku said, his forehead now touching Sora's across the counter.

"Okay."

"You know how I want it?"

"How?"

"I wanna lick it off your bare skin," he whispered, his lips brushing Sora's seductively as he spoke.

"Nnhhh…" Sora fell forward as he tried to kiss Riku; he wasn't quite tall enough to reach him across the counter, and he succeeded only in tripping himself and landing in a crumpled pile on the floor, giggling.

"Riku! Riku, I fell down, Riku, I feel _funny_!"

Riku nodded, coming around that side of the counter and helping the other boy up, both of them wobbling a bit as they tried to get their bearings.

"Riku?"

Riku didn't answer for a moment as he helped Sora onto the counter, where the brunet sat, swinging his legs happily, Riku standing between them. "Yea?"

"Are you hard?"

Riku thought for a moment. "Not really. Are you?"

Sora shook his head. "Not yet. But you said, um, you said that… Um… I don't remember. I forget. Let's make out, ok? I wanna make out."

Riku nodded, allowing Sora to kiss him sloppily, the brunet's hands tangled in his hair and his legs wrapped around Riku's waist. When they finally broke apart, Sora's jacket discarded and his hair sufficiently mussed up, Riku disentangled himself from the other boy's legs to search the freezer for ice cream.

"I really want ice cream," he murmured, the bags of frozen vegetables refusing to stay in focus. He blinked a few times, then opened the fridge. "You don't have ice cream, Sora. How can I make a sundae on you if you don't have ice cream?"

"I love you," Sora said, staring absentmindedly at the ceiling. He had decided to lie back on the counter, and Riku found he couldn't take his eyes off the boy after he turned around to look. His chocolate hair messy and his blue eyes slightly reddened, he looked strangely beautiful in the glaring light of the kitchen lamp. He turned his head to Riku and smiled, a wide, tipsy smile that Riku thought looked cute with the slight flush in his cheeks. Then again, Riku was pretty drunk too, and all the browns in Sora's hair seemed to stand out more, his eyes were _so blue_… Sora had pushed his shirt up a bit and was idly scratching his stomach, the waistband of his boxers visible where his jeans had sagged down a bit.

"You're beautiful," Riku said softly, letting the fridge close behind him as he returned to his position between Sora's knees.

"I love you," Sora repeated, pushing his boxers down a little further, a faint trail of dark brown now visible.

"You're beautiful," Riku said again, reaching forward to push Sora's shirt up more. The brunet arched his back up off the counter to allow his shirt to be moved, then sat up all the way and held his arms up, letting Riku pull it off completely.

"I love you," Sora murmured, his lips crashing against Riku's and his hands fumbling with the zipper of the other boy's sweatshirt. "I love you, I love you, you're beautiful too, there's whipped cream in the back of the fridge." He stopped abruptly, ignoring Riku's faint whimper for more, and leaned back, waiting.

Riku unzipped his sweatshirt and took it off, letting it fall on the floor behind him before pulling his shirt off as well. He leaned forward, trying to catch Sora's lips, but the brunet would have none of it, instead pointing at the fridge. "Get it, get it, Riku, I wanna see what it feels like!"

"Tease," Riku muttered, heading back to the fridge. "I love you."

"You're beautiful," Sora said, giggling a little as Riku finally located the whipped cream and stumbled back over.

"This is cliché, this is cheesy, I can't believe we're doing this," he said, mostly to himself, as he shook the can, but Sora seemed so excited as he laid back again, Riku climbing up onto the counter beside him before getting on top of him, straddling Sora's hips. He took another look into Sora's eyes, half-lidded and red around the edges, the deep blue seeming infinitely deeper in the strange, soft light, before drawing a large heart on the brunet's chest with the whipped cream. On contact, Sora's back arched up again, and he let out a small cry, which turned into more giggles.

"It's _cold_, Riku, it's _freezing_!" He squirmed beneath the taller boy, his toes curling as Riku finished off the heart, then let out a quiet moan as Riku's warm tongue pressed against his skin, licking off the cold cream slowly and seductively. When Riku had finally finished, he settled down on top of Sora, bracing himself on his elbows, one on each side of Sora's head.

"How'd it feel?" he asked, licking Sora's finger when the brunet tried to wipe away the remnants of the whipped cream from his lip.

"Good," Sora said, allowing Riku to continue sucking on his finger, staring, transfixed at the other boy's tongue. "Really good. Are you hard yet?"

Riku simply pushed his hips down in response, feeling Sora's equally solid erection through his pants.

Sora began to giggle again, uncontrollably, and Riku couldn't help but laugh too, because it was kind of funny, he thought, through his strange, drunken haze, it was kind of funny that he was laying on top of Sora on his kitchen counter, and he felt kind of dumb for not being able to come up with anything sexier to draw with whipped cream than a heart, and damn, Sora looked nice, and he felt nice, and the feeling of Sora laughing under him was kind of funny too… And then that was all there was, Riku and Sora and the cold, marble counter, and the can of whipped cream and discarded clothing, and laughter, quiet, free laughter, and Riku's arms gave out, and he rested completely on Sora, his head on the brunet's still-wet chest, one hand reaching up to hold Sora's, the other slipped comfortably beneath the waistband of Sora's boxers, gently rubbing across the rise and fall of his hipbone.

"Happy Valentine's Day," Sora finally said, gasping for air as his giggles finally seemed to subside. "Happy Valentine's Day, Riku."

"Yea, you too," Riku said, propping himself up on his elbows again and leaving a soft, chaste kiss on Sora's forehead. "I love you."

"I love you too, I love you so much right now, and you know what's funny?" Sora asked, fighting to keep from laughing again. "You know what's funny, Riku?"

"What?"

"I'm not even-I'm not even hard anymore, because I laughed so hard and I can't remember why, I'm not even hard anymore, Riku, I just wanna lay here with you forever and ever, and that lamp looks _funny_, and I feel funny but it feels good. Touch me, Riku, touch me forever. Please, please, don't ever stop."

"You're not hard anymore?"

Sora shook his head, choking out a few more giggles before stopping to breathe.

Riku sighed. "You're a funny drunk, Sora."

"I'm having fun."

"Me too."

"Wait!" Sora exclaimed, his eyes widening, then narrowing in confusion. "Wait… are you?"

"Am I what?"

"What?"

"What?"

Both boys burst into laughter again, Sora stopping abruptly after a few seconds. "You _are, _you're still hard, I can feel it… poking me."

Riku snorted. "Sorry. I tried to make it go away, but you're just so damn pretty…"

"Do you want me to blow you or something? I feel bad, I feel like a tease, but I don't really feel bad, I just feel kind of light. Riku, Riku, let's fly away! After I blow you. Do you want me to?"

"If you want to."

"Of course I do, dahhling, but let's go upstairs, because my shoulder blades hurt from this stupid counter."

"Your shoulder blades hurt?"

"They do, Riku, don't mock me, my shoulder blades are-are _extremely_ important to me, and I can't give a good blowjob if I'm distracted by shoulder blade pain, ok? Ok, Riku? Ok?"

They both laughed again as Riku eased himself off of Sora and the counter, and continued to giggle as they stumbled up the stairs in the dark, crashing into Sora's room and onto the bed without even bothering to fully close the door.

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Roxas internally groaned as he heard the two boys come crashing up the stairs. After about a minute of their conversation downstairs, he had been completely grossed out and had retreated to his room, and now, he realized with dissatisfaction, they had failed to shut the door, and no matter what he did, he would be hearing Riku moans for, well, however long it took Riku to get there. A sudden wave of loneliness came over him as he realized that somewhere, Axel and Demyx were probably doing the same thing as Sora and Riku, and he sighed as he picked up the phone.

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"Hey, I just saw I missed a call from you. I was in the shower, yea… well, ok, so my roommate kicks me out of the room, right? He says he wants the room tonight for Valentine's Day with his girlfriend, so his girlfriend said I could sleep in her room tonight. It's nice. Girly, and clean, and everything smells pretty. Plus, she has a really nice TV, so I've been watching a great lineup of uh, When Harry Met Sally, and Pretty Woman, and all those kind of movies… it's all that's on today, you know?"

Leon leaned back against the pillow, holding the phone to his ear with his shoulder as he switched the channel past news to another cheesy romantic movie.

"More fun than I've had… I got to hear students talking about the parties they were going to all day, and did any of them invite me? Of course not!" Cloud's voice was indignant over the phone, and Leon smiled, imagining the blond's exasperated face.

"Hey, I told you already, you should have driven out here for Valentine's Day! 7 hours is not that long, alright?"

"Yea, I would do that, but unlike you, I have a job I have to go to tomorrow. You know, work, the real world, it's a real drag sometimes."

Leon snorted. "Right, right, the real world. You can't come see me because it's a school night. I get it."

Cloud sighed, the phone amplifying the rush of air as he exhaled. "Miss you," he said, his voice taking on an almost shy tone.

"Of course you do," Leon said, picking at a hangnail on one of his toes. When Cloud was silent, he continued. "I miss you too, if that's what you're waiting for."

"God, Leon, you're so romantic."

"Sorry, sorry, I tried… I do miss you though, alright? I wore your belt today. I keep getting compliments on it."

"Really? Are you wearing it now?"

Leon winced as he accidentally ripped the hangnail off too far. "Nah, I'm in bed and stuff now. But I was wearing it all day. People keep asking me where I got it."

"What do you tell them?"

"I tell them some of my groupies made it for me, and then they laugh and I say I'm kidding, and I tell them my boyfriend made it for me, and they all go 'Awww,' and then I get all distracted from whatever it is I'm supposed to be doing, because I'm too busy thinking about you."

Cloud made a noise of assent, then was quiet for a moment. "So what _are_ you wearing now?"

Leon laughed again before speaking in a mock seductive tone. "Just my leopard print g-string…"

Cloud laughed too, and Leon smiled. Cloud's laugh was one of his best features, he had decided. It was just… well, maybe because it required him to smile, and Cloud's smile was stunning. "I'm serious, what are you wearing?"

"Really?"

"Yea, what are you wearing? C'mon, I wanna know!"

"But-I-why?" Leon asked, holding a wadded up Kleenex to the edge of his toenail, which had started to bleed where he'd ripped it.

"So I can get a better mental picture, you know, of you all curled up in some girl bed in Balamb, watching chick flicks without me on Valentine's Day."

Leon sighed. "I just took a shower, so I'm just wearing stuff to sleep in. I got gym shorts on."

"And?"

"Boxers."

"And?"

"That's it," Leon said. "Unless you count the Kleenex I'm using to soak up the blood from a brutal hangnail I just ripped off my toe. But I'm not really wearing it so much as… applying it."

"I see. See, we're meant to be, because you're wearing gym shorts, and I'm a gym teacher, so… yea. The coincidence is almost spooky."

Leon snorted, then checked his phone as he heard the call waiting noise. Narrowing his eyes, he held the phone back up to his ear. "Listen, can I call you back in a minute? I got Roxas on call waiting, and like… he never calls me, so I'm guessing something's going on."

"Yea, of course. He's been a little off in class lately, too. I think he and Axel broke up. He spiked a volleyball at the kid a few weeks ago."

"Yea? Roxas did that? Wow. Alright, I'll call you tomorrow if it gets too late while I'm talking to him."

"Alright, bye."

"Cloud?"

"Yea?"

"Happy Valentine's Day."

"You too. Bye."

Leon deftly pressed the call waiting button, picking up Roxas's call at the last second.

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"Hey Rox, what's going on?"

Roxas was glad his brother had picked up the phone; it had gone for 4 rings and he was almost positive he was going to get an answering machine. "Hey… not too much, um… I was just really bored, thought I'd say hi."

"Yea, ok, so pretend you already got past all this stuff, and tell me what you're really calling about, Rox. You never call just to say hi, so I know something's up. You may as well tell me now and get it over with."

Roxas sighed. "I just… I've had a shit day. I broke up with Axel like… a few weeks ago, and then I saw him today and-and in the hall he was making out with this sort of mutual friend of ours, and then I kissed Rikku to make him jealous, but I don't actually like her that way, and she doesn't like me like that either, so it was just kind of weird, and I was supposed to go to this party, but I didn't want to, and Riku and Sora came home from dinner drunk, and they're going at it in Sora's room but they were too stupid to close the damn door, and I can hear Riku like… moaning, and it's just not cool. I just wanted to vent, I guess. I dunno. That's all."

"Going at it as in…?"

"As in, probably fucking. Except I don't hear Sora, so maybe, oh God, well, maybe they'll just be done now… Oh, oh, are they done? Are they…"

A loud, higher-pitched moan, following by a series of giggly 'Riku!'s came from down the hall, and Roxas sighed again. "No, they're not done."

"That's so unfortunate. I'm sorry. Cover your ears! You're my little, virginal brother, you can't hear this stuff, alright? In fact, Sora's supposed to be my little, virginal brother too, so go in my room and bang on the wall or something until they stop. I can't believe that, they're really fucking? Sora's being fucked? Euuhhh… I don't wanna think about it… Speaking of which, since when did you say fuck? Do you know where babies come from already? God, you two grew up fast."

Roxas laughed half-heartedly, leaning back against his pillows.

"So what's the deal with Axel? Messy breakup or…?"

"You could say that," Roxas said. "I… I saw him kiss another guy, and I-I know it shouldn't be that big of a deal, and I should just be done with him and move on, but Axel… Axel was my first… everything."

"Everything? Like… how much everything?"

"Like, _everything_ everything."

"But I mean, you guys…"

"He was my first kiss, my first hand job, my first blowjob, and… I lost my virginity to him. And two days later, I walk out of school and there he is with this other guy. Right out in the open, like, on the bike racks."

"Aw, Rox, I'm so sorry… He really did that to you? What a fucking douche. Next time I'm home on break, you tell me where he lives, and I'll beat his face in, alright? Jeez, though, you're only 16, Rox, why'd you do all that stuff with him? I mean, I didn't lose my virginity until I was like… let's see, 17? 18? It was like, 4-ish years ago, so I guess I was around 18, or almost 18."

"I-I dunno, it seemed like the thing to do… I wanted to, it's not like he forced me into anything, he's-he's… Leon, I'm in love with him, and I don't know what to do."

"Don't be. If he cheated on you, he's not worth your time. Any guy that hurts you isn't worth your time. And that goes for girls, too, alright? I dunno if you're- if you're fully into guys, or you're going both ways, or what, but no matter what, if the person you're with isn't treating you right, it's not worth it. You deserve better, ok? You're a great kid."

Suddenly much more tired than he had been before, Roxas yawned. "Thanks, Leon. I guess… thanks for just listening to me, and giving me advice and stuff. You're a really good brother… and stuff… It was really good to just talk to someone about this, that isn't trying to convince me that Axel's actually a great guy and I'm just completely wrong about him. I just, I dunno. I just got really tired though, so I think I'm gonna try to block out the noise and sleep, if that's alright."

"Of course it's alright. Feel better, ok? You can always give me a call if you want to talk like this, too, or just-just whenever. I'm usually awake, and I'm a light sleeper anyway, so if I'm asleep I don't really mind being woken up."

"Thanks, I'll remember that. Talk to you later, Leon. Goodnight."

"Night, Rox. Love ya."

"Love you too."

Roxas flipped his phone shut, setting it down on his bedside table before turning out the light and curling up in bed. He couldn't sleep with the door closed, so he had to leave it open a crack. Trying to ignore the squeaking bedsprings and muffled gasps from down the hall, he closed his eyes, and he was just tired enough to fall asleep.

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**AN:** Whoah, whoah! I know, I know! To make a couple things clear, in case they somehow weren't: Roxas and Rikku are NOT getting together, and neither are Demyx and Axel. They both just wanted to make the other jealous. Oh, boys... Drunk Sora and Riku are both kind of silly, but, I think, cute. Not to worry though, it's not like, a regular thing or something, it was just that one time... Neither of them are big drinkers or anything. A little bit of LeonCloud just to remind you guys it's there, because it becomes a bit more important pretty soon! And yes, Zexion! I realize I told someone near the beginning of the story in a review reply that I wouldn't be writing Zexion, because I don't know him too well, but I've been playing CoM and reading excessive amounts of fan fiction and well, he's awful cute... So into the story leaps Zexion! More on this later.  
**Anyways, thank you again so much for reading, I hope you enjoyed the chapter! Please leave a review and let me know what you thought!**

**EDIT: PS: The happy returns, for good, next chapter. **


	22. You Deserve The Best

Disclaimer: Kingdom Hearts does not belong to me!  
**AN:** As usual, **thank all of you so much for reading and reviewing - it means so much to me! **For those of you missing the elusive 'happy,' it returns! XD This chapter got so long I had to split it in two, so this Part 1. It continues.. next chapter. :D Due to a major revamp of my outline, a couple things I had planned got drastically simplified and edited down, so the happy returned a bit faster and the story moves a bit faster, as well. It's a good thing. We get 10 days off of school for Thanksgiving (teacher conferences and whatnot), so I should be able to get the next couple updates up pretty quick!  
In other news, I started reading the Fruits Basket manga, and I am madly in love... I think once I finish this story, I may take a fanficton venture into the Fruits Basket realm... Ayame is my favorite, and Hatsuharu! And Shigure, of course! So cute.. Although I've only read the first 4 so far...  
**Thanks again for reading the story so far, and I hope you enjoy the chapter! Please review when you're done and let me know what you think:D**

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Axel scanned the sheet for his name… Every year, their school held a large fundraiser, appropriately called The Fundraiser, where basically, the school collected people's "junk" from the surrounding area, got it all organized in the gym and the cafeteria, then sold it all in a big, weekend-long sale, using the money to improve the school in some way or another. The Fundraiser was staffed every year by students, who were given an entire day off of school in which to bring in a lot of the items, and later on, working at the sale – all juniors and seniors were required to sign up for two shifts either cashiering or helping carry large and unwieldy items to customers' cars. Since Axel had a car, he had put his name down on the list of people willing to drive out to donor's houses on their day devoted to Fundraiser preparations, and the lists of who was driving where with whom were posted on almost every surface in the school. Axel was currently eyeing the list, and he realized as he looked at the date at the top that it was almost March.

_March 1st, pickup and sorting day… And that's tomorrow? Wow, alright then… _

After seeing Roxas in the hallway on Valentine's Day, he had made up his mind to talk to the boy, and figure out what was going on, but every time he tried to approach him, Roxas had managed to escape. It was more than a little infuriating, and Axel had all but given up when…

"Holy _shit_, really?" Axel tore the sheet off the bulletin board, staring in disbelief at the line with his name. He was listed in the "Driver" column, and beside his name, in the "Passenger A" column, was Roxas. The "Passenger B" column was blank, and their locations were all addresses in a town about an hour's drive away. He covered the lines above and below his, to make sure he wasn't just looking at it wrong, and found that it was, in fact, correct, and he was reading it in a straight line, and he and Roxas were going to be alone in the car for an hour each way. A wide grin spreading across his face, he set out quickly for the Math wing, where he knew Demyx was currently in class – this was just _way_ too good not to share with him immediately.

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"_Ahhh_! What the hell?"

Cloud stumbled and fell to the floor as he was tackled from behind.

"Thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou, _Mr. Strife_, you're _fantastic_, you know that?"

Grimacing, Cloud pushed Sora off of his back. "Yea, yea, I know, I know. It's no big deal."

Sora squealed as he leaned against the wall, watching vaguely as Cloud got up and brushed himself off. "It's perfect. _Perfect_. Not only did you get them together, you got them going for an hour's drive. An _hour_, Cloud, an hour! It's bound to work. I mean, you know them… Think of Axel and Roxas in the car for an hour together, no, _two_ hours because they have to drive back! Finally… Things will be solved, and they'll be happy, and-and I won't have to hear Roxas talking in his Dull-Apathetic-Life-Is-Like-An-Old-Black-And-White-Photograph-Without-Axel-Voice, and he can be happy, and Axel will stop being so moody, and-and they're so _good_ together, too, and it's all a big misunderstanding but they're both too dumb to get over it, but-but if they're together that long, they'll be forced to converse, and-and OhmyGod I'm so excited…"

Cloud couldn't help but smile at Sora's overjoyed expression. "Listen, if you ever want to repay me, there is _one_ thing that you could do… I mean, in case you'd been wondering. Since I'm doing you and Roxas and everyone such a big favor, and all."

Sora nodded. "Yea, yea, whatever you want. Seriously, anything."

"Well, your brother – Leon, that is, keeps bitching at me because he has no money for gas, and that's his excuse for never coming home on weekends or anything… Except it's not so much an excuse as a 'I'm going to beg you for money so I can come see you' sort of thing. There's a three day weekend coming up for him – next weekend, actually, and it'd be really great if he could manage to get here. I don't have a lot of cash laying around either, but if you wanted to contribute like… 20 bucks to the gasoline fund, I can scrape up the rest, and he has a little. He can make it here on a little over a tank, so he'd have to get gas probably three times to make a round trip. But really, anything you could contribute would be great."

"Of course, yea, I can do that," Sora said, grinning as he nodded again. "What'cha gonna do, have a romantic weekend trip or something?"

Cloud snorted. "Have you _met_ Leon? Of course not. We'll probably just hang around my apartment watching movies and eating chips and having se- uh, sandwiches."

"Uh huh, sandwiches. Right. Make sure you use a condom… ent… condiments, you know. Ketchup. Mustard. Safe sandwiches."

Cloud sighed and shook his head as he walked away, smiling.

_At least he learned something in Sex Ed…_

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"So, tomorrow evening, after the day of Fundraising pickups and stuff, a bunch of us are gonna hang out at my friend Riku's house, and um… I was wondering if maybe you wanted to come, too?"

Demyx looked up hopefully, blushing a little as Zexion finished up the math problem he was working on and turned to face him.

"Really? Is it a study group or an actual social event?"

"Just-just social," Demyx replied, his eyes traveling from Zexion's face to his slim shoulders, then his small, thin hands. _His fingernails are clean. Are mine? Oh my God, what if I have gross dirt in my nails? What if he's looking at them and thinks I'm disgusting because I didn't clean my fingernails?_ He self-consciously folded his fingers so his nails were no longer visible.

"Are you sure it's okay to invite me to somebody else's house?"

Demyx nodded. "I asked Riku, and he said it was fine."

_What if he's just saying that because he doesn't want to come? Oh no, oh no, oh no, this is embarrassing, oh no, oh-_

"You asked him already? So you were planning on asking me to come?" A small smile had made its way onto Zexion's face, and he shook his head a little as he copied down the next problem from the book.

"I-I-"

Zexion let out a light laugh, his eyes bright as he looked up again. "I'd love to go. You're kind of funny when you get nervous, though."

Demyx turned an even brighter shade of red, looking away.

"Don't worry, it's endearing. Who else is going to be there?"

Glad to have been asked a question he actually knew how to correctly answer, Demyx leaned back in his chair, listing off the names of everyone he knew would be there for sure. "Umm, me, and-and you, and um… Riku, Sora, Roxas, Rikku, Namine, Kairi, Yuffie, and Riku's cousin from out of town. I dunno her, it's some girl, and I forget her name. Oh, and Axel. Well, Roxas and Axel are still pending at this point. It all sort of depends on how the day goes."

"How so?"

"Oh, well they used to be together, but then they broke up, but it was all a big misunderstanding, and Sora managed to get Mr. Strife, you know him? Yea, the gym teacher, him, well, he's going out with Sora and Roxas's older brother, and so he did Sora the favor of making sure Axel and Roxas got paired up together for pickup for the Fundraiser, and we're hoping they'll get everything figured out. I mean, I know as soon as Axel bothers to check the list, he'll get massively excited, since he's been trying desperately to get a hold of Roxas for like, two weeks now."

Zexion nodded slowly, taking in the information. He looked vaguely distracted, however, and Demyx gave him a quizzical look before turning around to see what the other boy was looking at over his shoulder. A light tapping noise was coming from the door, and Axel was outside, a huge grin on his face and a ripped sheet of paper in his hand as he gestured wildly for Demyx to come out of class. They were, after all, having a work period, so Demyx excused himself from the conversation and stepped outside, hushing Axel until he had the door fully closed, then stepping around him to get out of sight of the class.

"Demyx, did you _see_?"

"The list?"

Axel nodded excitedly. "I'm with _him_, Demyx, they put me and Roxas together, and-and even better, even better, we're going an _hour away_, so he _has_ to let me talk to him!"

Demyx smiled back, pretending to be surprised. "Seriously? Let me see!" He dutifully looked at the list before giving Axel an encouraging nod. "That's awesome, Ax, I-I gotta get back to class, but, um, wow. Seriously. You better talk to him, ok? Get it all figured out. Promise you will?"

Axel nodded more, dancing around on his toes a bit before giving Demyx a quick kiss on the cheek and waltzing off down the hall, humming happily to himself as he went.

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Roxas stared at the ceiling from his bed. His alarm had gone off ten minutes ago, but he didn't want to get up.

_March 1st_. _Stupid smug calendar._

He could hear the water rushing through pipes in the walls as Sora showered. He had taken his shower the night before to put off going to sleep. All he had to do was get up, get dressed, and get to school, where he would meet up with Axel, his assigned driver, and spend the entire day picking up other people's crap with the redhead. He drifted in and out of sleep – he had gone to bed around 2:00 AM, and now he was tired.

"Roxas. _Roxas_, wake up, we gotta go!"

"I don't feel good," he murmured, rolling over to avoid Sora. "Aren't you in the shower? You were, and then I blinked, and now it's 7:40 and you're standing here."

"_Up_!"

Sora employed a tactic that usually worked to get Roxas out of bed, dragging all of the younger boy's blankets off of him, leaving him shivering in his boxers with only his pillow to comfort him.

"Roxas, you're _going_ to school, even if I have to physically drag you there in your underwear. It's your choice whether you go the easy way or the hard way. You can't ditch fundraiser pickup day, anyway, you'll get detention for like, the rest of your life. It's community service."

"I have a stomachache."

Roxas yelped as he felt Sora's hands close around his arms, and he shook himself free as his brother dragged him out of bed, shooting Sora a glare before snatching some clothes off the floor and angrily pulling them on. "I'm not happy," he said, a gloomy look shadowing his face as he stomped out to the car. Sora simply smiled as he turned the key, his grin only widening when he waved goodbye to Roxas at school, dashing off to find his own driving team. Roxas rubbed his hands through his hair in an attempt to make it sit a little bit flatter, or at least all go in some common direction, and looked around as he waited sullenly for Axel to appear. He scanned the crowd unhappily, searching for that bright red hair…

"Hey."

Turning around, he found Axel standing behind him, wearing an outfit similar to that of the day they had first talked – a wifebeater and a black zip-up hoodie, and dark jeans that sat low on his hips. Of course, his usual gloves, and the only thing Roxas could find different was the chain around Axel's neck, and his breath hitched a little as he remembered the night he'd fastened it on. _First kiss…first-_

"Hi," he said shortly, snapping himself out of his thoughts.

Axel gestured for him to follow and headed for his car, opening the door for the blond before going around to his own side. Roxas muttered an almost inaudible thank you before taking his seat and staring pointedly out the window. He heard Axel pause for a moment before starting the car, and watched in the side mirror as the redhead stared at him.

_Stop looking at me. Just go, dammit!_

"Listen, Rox, you've got the directions, and I know you don't want to talk to me, but you're gonna have to. I can't read directions and drive at the same time."

Unfolding the papers in his hands, Roxas studied the printed out directions for a moment before speaking. "Get on 26 going east into the city. Take it past downtown and out a ways. We'll be getting off at exit 239. It'll be a while."

"Thanks." Axel hesitated another moment, and opened his mouth to speak before thinking better of it. Sighing, he started the car, lurching out of the parking lot the best he could. After about 15 minutes of complete silence, they had reached the last stoplight before the highway, and Axel turned to Roxas as he slowed to stop for the red.

"Do you mind if I put some music on?"

Roxas shrugged, staring out the window.

"Do you have any preference?"

No response.

Axel sighed. He knew it would take Roxas a little while to loosen up, but he was getting impatient, and he was tired of resisting the urge to just blurt out everything he wanted to say. He closed his eyes for a moment and calmed himself, then opened them again and turned on the radio, settling on a station playing a light, happy song he recognized, in the hopes that Roxas might like it and get a little less silent.

He got half of his wish – after about a minute, Roxas spoke. "You know, of all the shit music to pick, you really found the shittiest."

Glancing at Roxas for a moment as he attempted to get the car up to highway speed, Axel pressed the CD button instead. The stereo whirred and clicked for a moment before the CD started to play – the first song was something acoustic that Axel didn't know; Demyx had made him a mix a few weeks ago and he hadn't really listened to it until now.

"Like this is much better," the blond muttered, his glare deepening as he leaned his head on the window.

"Ok, you know, you didn't state a preference, so please, Roxas, what would _you_ like to listen to?"

Roxas shrugged. "Not crap."

"Want to be a little more specific, since I have the feeling that no matter what I put on, you're going to hate it?"

"I don't even care. Listen to whatever the hell you want. I'm going to sleep, so just be fucking quiet about it."

"I…you… fine. Whatever." Turning the music down, Axel left it on the CD, and for about 20 minutes, the conversation was over.

"Roxas? You awake?" When he got no reply, Axel leaned over a little to check if the blond was simply angry or if he was actually asleep. His eyes were closed lightly, and his scowl had relaxed, his head rattling slightly against the window as the car hit bumps in the road. Taking a chance, Axel turned the volume up a little, eager to at least be able to hear his music since Roxas had successfully fallen asleep.

"Damn," he said quietly, eyeing the slowing traffic ahead of him. It was snowing lightly, and the roads were still slick from the last snow, resulting in slow-moving traffic as he entered the city. Out of sheer boredom, he drummed along to the music on the steering wheel, and 35 minutes later, he had the music all the way up to a regular volume, which was, for him, a bit louder than normal. He bobbed his head along to the beat, still not recognizing any of Demyx's music, but glad that traffic was finally picking up as he headed out the other side of the city. Roxas had continued to sleep peacefully, reaching up to sniff and rub his nose every once in a while in his sleep.

Axel brightened as the next song began, finally one he recognized.

"I miss the innocence I've knoooown," he crooned, singing along quietly to the Wilco song. Eyeing Roxas out of the corner of his eye, the blond stayed asleep, and he took it as his cue to continue singing along. The next song was one of his favorites from MSI, which started a lot louder than the others, but once again, Roxas stayed asleep, so he figured it was alright to sing along. It was the only way he could amuse himself as he drove, and he usually sang in the car anyway, although with MSI it was often more of a scream-along than a sing-along.

"I don't need you and I don't need a break, now if I wasn't here I'd be out gettin' laid…"

Unfortunately, he hit a small-ish bump in the road, jiggling Roxas's head against the window just enough to wake him. His previously relaxed face immediately returned to glaring stance, and he stared furiously at the stereo, which the music was now blasting from.

"God, would you shut _up_?"

"I-"

"What the fuck are we listening to, anyway?"

"It's-"

"Were you _singing_? Was it too much to ask if I could just sleep?"

"I didn't-"

"Why do you even listen to this shit?"

"_God DAMMIT._" Letting out a cry of frustration, Axel swerved to the side, pulling off the highway onto the shoulder and turning the car off. He took a long, shaky breath as he leaned his head back against the headrest and closed his eyes, trying to calm himself. Roxas was silent, a little put-off by the sudden outburst.

For a minute, neither of them spoke, Axel's eyes staying shut as he tried to collect his thoughts, and Roxas just waiting to see what the hell was going on. Finally, Axel spoke.

"Roxas," he said quietly. "Whatever I did to you, I'm sorry." Before Roxas could interrupt him, he held up a hand, opening his eyes to look straight at the other boy. "Just listen to me, ok? Just listen. I honestly have no idea what I did. I know I must have hurt you, but I don't know how, or when, or-or why you think I did whatever it was on purpose."

"Really? You don't know? Tell me, what do you think happened? Honestly, if you don't know what I'm talking about, let's hear it. I want to know what part you missed."

"What do I think happened?" Axel repeated, blinking. "Well, we had a weekend of mind-blowing sex, and the next day, you found out about the thing with Riku, and completely freaked out, accused me of cheating on you regardless of the fact that I wasn't with you when I hooked up with Riku, and stomped off to the bus."

"Oh no, don't even-don't even do that. Just-just don't." Roxas turned away again, staring out the window. "Just go, ok? Let's just get this over with and go home."

"Roxas."

Roxas refused to look up or speak, his eyes fixed out the window. Axel sighed, then was quiet for a moment.

"No. This isn't gonna be over that easy. Get out of the car."

"W-What?" Roxas looked up. "Are you kidding me?"

"No. I'm not kidding. Get out." Axel opened his own door to climb out, then headed around to Roxas's side and opened his, too. "Get. Out. Of the car."

When Roxas didn't move, he reached in and unbuckled the blond's seatbelt, dragging him out by the arm. "I can't see you when you do that, and I want you to look at me and have this conversation, ok? So here we are, and neither of us is getting back in that car until you talk to me. I don't care how long I have to wait. You're gonna get cold eventually, and you don't know how to drive stick, so you're just gonna have to do it my way, comprende?"

Roxas glared daggers at the older boy, painfully aware of his lack of a jacket. He had left the house so quickly that morning that he'd forgotten to grab it, and he knew he was fighting a losing battle. Snow was drifting down lightly, and it was freezing, and he was wearing a t-shirt and jeans. At least Axel had a sweatshirt and gloves. Gritting his teeth, he braced himself for the impending conversation, blinked slowly, and began to speak.

"Try again, Axel. What happened that day, specifically?" he asked sarcastically, unwilling to simply give Axel the information he wanted.

Axel sighed. "I saw you in gym, and we got out early and fucked in the locker room. Everything was fine. I went to my other classes, I walked outside to wait for you after school on the bike racks, like I usually do. I was talking to Zell about his tattoo, and I was looking at the detailing and trying to see how it was healing, and suddenly you were behind me, screeching at me."

Roxas blinked. "Wait-I-his… tattoo?" The memory flashed in Roxas's mind – Zell _did_ have a tattoo on his face, and he had gotten it fairly recently… and Axel's hair had blocked his few that day, he hadn't _actually_ seen them kissing… Axel had seemed to have no idea what he was talking about, and he had looked so confused when Roxas had left… A sudden sickening sense of realization dawned on him, and he looked up at Axel slowly. The redhead looked a little angry, naturally, but Roxas met his eyes, and he saw confusion, and hope, and hurt, and Roxas was suddenly very sure he wasn't lying. "Shit," he whispered, the reality of his mistake setting in.

"What?"

"You must have been so confused," he said softly, fighting the building pressure behind his eyes, willing himself not to cry over his own stupidity.

Axel watched, bewildered, as Roxas's features softened, the boy's expression leaving all traces of anger behind. "You ok? Rox?"

Roxas shook his head. "I-I made a huge mistake, I… I thought you- I thought you were kissing him."

"_Kissing him_?" Axel's face contorted into a look of disbelief as he repeated what Roxas had said. "Are you out of your _mind_? First of all, I would never cheat on you. Never. I thought you knew that, Rox. On top of that, I would especially never cheat on you with _Zell Dincht_, of all people – he's really, _really_ not my type. And-_and_, if somehow, _somehow_ that happened, this is _Zell_ we're talking about. If he had actually hooked up with me, don't you think he would do what he always does when he gets any, and tell literally _everyone_ he could get a hold of?"

"I'm sorry," Roxas said, his voice slipping into desperation. "I didn't know, I thought I knew what I was seeing, I thought- I thought I…"

"Rox…" Axel's voice softened as well, and he leaned back against the side of the car, watching snowflakes fall on the back of his hand for a moment. "Rox, you really think I'd cheat on you?"

"I… I was upset because you didn't tell me about Riku, and-and then I saw you leaning in like that, and I just-I didn't know what to think."

"I meant it," Axel said, looking at his feet before meeting Roxas's eyes again. "When I told you I loved you, I meant it. I would never, ever just throw that away, Rox. I couldn't. I can't. I love you, Rox, and I miss you, and I-I just… you really thought I'd just-just completely… I dunno, I can't think of a word to correctly capture just how much of a an asshole you must think I am, if you seriously think I'd do that, especially right after sleeping with you, and right after telling you I love you."

"I-I don't, I mean, I did, but I don't, I knew it didn't seem right, but…" Roxas stammered, his words trailing off. "I dunno, you were just always so much more… experienced than me, and-and it reminded me of when I first met you, and you-I-I thought I was seeing something for sure, so I justified it in my head."

They stood silently for a little while then, both thinking, neither sure of what to say next. Roxas watched the snowflakes landing on Axel, how his face was wet now because they melted so fast, and he missed the heat of the redhead's skin against him. He suddenly realized how cold he was, and before he could stop himself, he was pressed up against Axel, his arms wrapped tightly around the taller boy's waist and his head nestled against Axel's chest, the familiar scent of Old Spice filling his nose. He closed his eyes tightly, soaking up the other boy's body heat, and felt a wave of relief as Axel's arms closed around him.

"I missed you so much," he mumbled against Axel's shirt, fighting a losing battle against his tears as one leaked out the corner of his eye.

"I missed you too, Rox." Axel's voice was quiet, and Roxas felt the older boy's hand slip under his chin, pushing him back a little and holding his head up enough to look at him again. Axel leaned down, his forehead pressing against Roxas's. "Rox, you gotta promise to trust me this time, ok?"

Roxas nodded, taking a shaky breath in through his mouth as he wiped his tears away. "I promise."

"No running off all angry like that, alright? If something happens, you gotta promise to talk to me about it, and let a real, calm conversation happen, and not just freak out and run away."

"Uh huh," Roxas said, nodding again.

"Are you crying?" Axel pulled back more, a concerned expression on his face as he wiped the tears off Roxas's face, which only prompted more.

Laughing a little, Roxas, sniffed and rubbed his eyes. "God, I'm sorry, I'm like a fucking faucet or something, I feel so dumb…"

"It's not dumb," Axel said, taking both of Roxas's hands in his own and lacing their fingers together. He leaned forward, still holding the other's hands, and gently, almost hesitantly, kissed him. Roxas held his breath through the kiss, letting himself exhale only when they finally broke apart, one last burst of tears dripping from his eyes.

Axel snorted. "Not dumb, but a little wimpy," he said, grinning as Roxas gave him a playful shove. "C'mon, get back in the car. It's fucking freezing out here." Roxas smiled as he settled back into his still-warm seat, glad the tears seemed to be all gone, and let his head rest back against the seat as he processed everything that had just happened. Axel turned the music back on as he got back onto the road, and regardless of the fact that he belted out all the lyrics to every song they listened to the rest of the trip, usually completely off pitch, Roxas didn't mind at all. In fact, he kind of liked it.

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Demyx smiled to himself as he watched Zexion out of the corner of his eye in Riku's kitchen. He had arrived around 6:00, only a few minutes before Zexion had showed up, and the silver-haired boy had brought the ingredients for his soon-to-be famous punch. Demyx had, of course, volunteered to help make it, and the two had retreated from the others, mostly girls, to the kitchen. Unfortunately, Demyx was less than talented when it came to recipes, and Zexion had finally just put him in charge of juicing limes, opting to do most of the work himself. Axel and Roxas hadn't arrived yet, and they had been discussing whether or not they thought the two would ever show. Having exhausted that topic of conversation, however, they had lapsed into a relaxed silence. Well, silence in the sense that neither of them was speaking; the room was hardly quiet. Soft squelching noises came from the limes as Demyx squeezed every last drop of juice out, and the spoon Zexion was using to stir clinked against the glass bowl. Demyx could hear Sora and Riku talking in the living room, and the sound of the TV, and of all the girls giggling and happily conversing. Zexion gave a quiet, contented sigh, and Demyx looked up at him, working up his courage.

"So, uh, are you into guys or girls?" he asked, attempting to sound nonchalant as he looked back at his limes. "Or both, you know, or I guess neither, I mean, I don't want to restrict you in terms of choices, I-"

Zexion laughed softly, measuring out another teaspoon of sugar. He paused for a moment in thought before remembering what he was doing, then poured the sugar into the bowl. "To answer your question in the simplest way possible… both. I don't pick one way or the other, it just depends on who specifically I like at the time. Right now, though, I'm sort of taking a break from the whole dating scene. I've had a fairly recent breakup, and I haven't really felt like getting caught up in all of that stuff again. Yet."

"You were dating someone?" Demyx asked in disbelief, immediately regretting the incredulous tone his voice had carried.

"What, is it that hard to believe? I'm not _that_ ugly," Zexion replied, smirking as he stirred more sugar into the punch.

"No, no, I didn't mean that at all, I… Sorry… I don't think you're ugly or anything, I just didn't know you were dating anyone, and-and I usually have a fairly good grasp on the social scene at school."

Zexion nodded. "You would, wouldn't you? The guy I was with didn't go to our school, he's a little older than us. He's 22 now, I think. His name is Xigbar, and he's a little… eccentric."

Demyx dropped the lime he was holding and stared at Zexion in disbelief. "Xigbar? You were going out with _Xigbar_?"

"So you know him?"

Demyx snorted. "I'm a dealer, Zexion, of course I _know_ him. I… I used to date him too, actually. A couple years back, when I was dealing a lot more than I do now."

"What do you deal?" Zexion asked, giving Demyx a disapproving look. "I wouldn't have expected you to be involved in that kind of thing."

"Just weed, but not as much as I used to," Demyx said quickly. "I-I hardly do at all, anymore. Just a little, you know, when I need money."

Zexion sighed. "Just when you think you know someone, huh? You really shouldn't get involved in that stuff, it can never lead to anything good. That's half the reason I broke up with Xigbar."

Demyx nodded. "I know, I know, I'm slowly cutting down my customer base. I can't just cut them all off, that'd be cruel…" He paused for a moment, picking up the lime he had dropped, then continued. "What was the other half? Of the reason, that is. For breaking up with Xigbar. He wasn't… he wasn't hitting you, was he?"

Zexion raised his eyebrows. "Hitting me? God no, nothing like that… He was cheating on me though, like, a lot. He didn't even try to hide it, and for a while I didn't really care, but I finally just got fed up and told him I was done. He didn't seem to mind too much."

"At least he's improved a little since my time," Demyx muttered, squeezing the lime hard in frustration. "He used to beat me up. I had a lot of douchebag boyfriends, but he was the only one awful enough to merit Axel interfering."

"Interfering? What did he do?"

Demyx sighed, setting the mangled lime on the counter. "I… I tried to hide the bruises, because I knew Axel wouldn't stand for it, and Xigbar… he used to get completely wrecked and then push me around, for fun, I guess. Or he'd-he'd insist on fucking me, even when I didn't really feel like it, he'd just sort of… push me down and do it. It… in hindsight, it was awful, and I don't know why I kept going back to him for so long, I guess I just liked him because he was older than me and sophisticated and people wanted to buy from me because I was Xigbar's cute little boy toy, but either way, Axel started noticing the bruises and the scabs and stuff, and I tried to make excuses, but he figured it out. I told him not to do anything, but one day he followed me after school when I went to Xigbar's apartment, and-and it was one of those days, and I didn't want to fuck, but Xigbar did, so he pushed me down, as usual, and suddenly Axel was there – I hadn't known he had followed me until he was suddenly there, and he was so mad… I don't think I've ever seen Axel quite that pissed off at any other point in my life, and I've known him since as long as I can remember… He just lost it, and he completely beat Xigbar up, which was sort of against all odds considering how scrawny he was at the time. Granted, he has his fire, and I remember he inadvertently burned off his gloves, so the whole drive home while he was lecturing me about how I deserved better and all that, he was holding the steering wheel with just his fingertips. I dunno why I remember that, I just remember watching his hands the whole way home and thinking how funny it looked and kind of letting everything register in my head. I haven't seen Xigbar since. Before he dragged me out, Axel threatened to beat him up all over again if he ever came near me, and Xigbar didn't want anything to do with me anymore by that time. You know that scar on his face?"

Zexion nodded, his eyes wide.

"That's from Axel… Afterwards, I used to tease him and say he only did it because he was jealous, but he knows how grateful I am for it. Axel… he's really an amazingly loyal friend, and just an amazing person in general. People really underestimate him… he can seem a little, well, difficult, when you first meet him, but he has a definite sweet streak, and once you get to know him a little better, it's hard not to love him."

"He calls me Little Emo," Zexion noted, blinking as he remembered the punch he was supposed to be mixing. "I was in a couple classes with him last year, and he refused to use my name – it was always Little Emo. He seemed nice enough, though."

Demyx laughed a little, sucking his finger as the lime juice entered a small papercut he had gotten a few weeks ago, causing it to sting sharply.

"Demyx, I… I'm so sorry. That Xigbar did that stuff to you, that is. It's… it's really terrible. I can't imagine how anyone could do that to someone else that they supposedly love, much less if that person was you."

Demyx smiled and shrugged. "Thanks… It's not so hard to believe, though. I've almost come to expect it."

"Don't."

Demyx looked up at the other boy, who had put the mixing spoon down again.

"Don't get used to it, ok? It's never alright, it's never normal. Axel's right, you do deserve better. You deserve… the best."

Demyx's smile softened even more as he watched a blush rise in Zexion's cheeks. "You know," he said quietly, "There was a reason why I asked if you like boys…"

"Y-yea? Why's that?" Zexion replied, his voice sounding much more shy as he met Demyx's eyes. The blond's smile widened for a moment as he leaned closer, gently pulling Zexion's face to his own for a long, slow kiss.

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**AN:** Awws, happiness! As I said, this is Part 1 of what was originally one chapter that had to be split in two, so sorry if it seems to cut off at a seemingly random spot! It's kind of like a cliffhanger, except... not suspenseful. And for those of you awaiting AkuRoku makeup sex... you won't have to wait long. XD It would just be a bit weird if it happened RIGHT when they made up, since after all, they were outside of a car on the side of the highway... So yes, be prepared for a bit of AkuRoku smex next chapter.. Also, I hope you guys caught the reference made earlier in the story to Demyx and Xigbar's breakup, Axel mentioned it sort of in passing in Chapter... 12? I believe it was Chapter 12. Forgive me if I've gotten the chapter wrong, I sometimes get them mixed up! XD Either way, it got cleared up a bit this chapter. **Thank you so much for reading, I sincerely hope you guys enjoyed the chapter, and please leave me a review to let me know what you thought! See you next chapter:D**


	23. I Got My Love to Keep Me Warm

Disclaimer: I don't own any of them!  
**A Couple of Review Replies for some non-logged in Reviews:  
Zolarius - **Oh man, RikuSora smut requested now too? What'll I do, I still gotta write the LeonCloud action everyone keeps bugging me about! XD But RikuSora's so cute... We'll see. If there's time. XD Thanks so much for reviewing!  
**Sin** - I'm so glad you like the story! Hopefully I've got this one up in time for you to have internet connection enough to read it! Thanks so much for the review!  
**LDK** - Hahaha, I'm so glad you like it! In terms of Hanukkah spelling... I dunno if I so much decided as that's how I happened to spell it, and I can't even remember if that's how I spelled it earlier in the story (oh no!)! I hope my Hanukkah spelling is at least consistent, if not correct! XD I really have no idea what the official spelling is, I have seen it so many different ways, and you're probably right about the Ch now that I think about it... Oh well. XD Thanks so much for the review!

**AN:** Oh my gosh, I was absolutely overwhelmed with reviews on the last chapter (yay!), thank you guys so much! I tried to reply to every one, so if I missed yours, I'm so sorry! I tend to reply to them directly from the email alerts, as opposed to the reviews page, and sometimes my email is lame and deletes things, so... if it did that, I'm sorry! I tried to post this chapter up last night, but there was something going on with the site, so it wouldn't upload to the document manager... It's working now, though! Sorry for the delay! Also, a special thank you to Shien/Kosica for the wonderful fanart, it's so pretty! XD  
Anyways, **thank you so much for reading and reviewing, it means so much to me**! I hope you all enjoy the chapter!

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Zexion tasted like ginger ale, Demyx thought, which made sense, because he had been sipping a bottle of Canada Dry for the past half hour. Not that Demyx could _really_ taste him – he didn't want to come on too strong, and he wasn't that kind of guy anyway; he tasted the soda on his own lips as he pulled back, alternating between looking away abashedly and sneaking glances at Zexion to see his reaction. The silver-haired boy was blushing, too, and he let out a small laugh as he caught Demyx's eye, the blond's smile adorably hopeful.

"I was hoping you might do that," he said finally, busying his hands adding ginger ale to the punch.

"Well, you did say I deserve the best," Demyx said, hoisting himself up to sit on the counter. "Think you're up to the task?"

Zexion laughed again, dipping a smaller spoon into the punch to taste it. He gave a thoughtful look before swallowing, then reached for the sugar, pausing before he opened the jar to look up at the other boy. "Is that a challenge?"

Demyx shrugged, a mischievous smile spreading across his face. "Could be, could be…"

Zexion smiled as he measured out a teaspoon of sugar. "Yea, I think I'm up to it. I think I'd be pretty damn good to you."

Demyx nodded, mentally slapping himself for watching the other boy's ass as he turned to put the sugar away, his tight black jeans clinging in all the right places. Wrenching his eyes away to stare instead at his soft, shiny hair, Demyx let his smile widen. "There's really only one way to find out," he said, his tone hopeful despite the fact that Zexion had already essentially accepted his 'challenge.' Slipping off the counter, he leaned in again to kiss the other boy, this time longer, and deeper, and Zexion put down the bottle he was holding to place his hands on Demyx's chest, the blond's hands stationed gently on each side of his face where his jaw met his neck, moving back to weave through his hair as the kiss deepened. Feeling the other boy's mouth finally open enough, Demyx slipped his tongue inside, only to find Zexion pulling back, one hand gently pushing him away.

"A gentleman takes things slowly," Zexion said softly, taking a step back. "And I think the best man would be a gentleman, yes?"

Demyx nodded, a little embarrassed, and leaned back against the counter, eyeing the generic-looking, square-ish bottle Zexion had previously had been holding. "What's that?" he asked, curious about the unlabeled clear liquid. It was clearly not in its original container – the bottle still had a sticker from The Container Store on the bottom, so Demyx could only assume it was stolen.

"Absolut," Zexion replied, swishing it around a little. "100 proof, plain. The only question is – to spike, or not to spike?"

Demyx thought for a moment before speaking. "Neither. Well, I guess 'not to spike,' but bring it out and whoever wants it can spike their own. Personally, I don't really drink, so I wouldn't want any, but if other people do, I don't want to be the spoilsport who ruined it for all of them."

"Fair enough," Zexion said, nodding as he tucked the bottle into his back pocket and picked up the punch bowl. "If you'd just grab the cups, I think we're good."

Spotting a stack of plastic cups behind him, Demyx picked them up, turning to see Zexion almost at the kitchen door. "I-um…"

Zexion looked up, shaking his head a little to get his hair out of his eyes.

Approaching the other boy, Demyx fidgeted with the edge of the top cup. "So… um… are we…?"

Giving Demyx a quick peck on the cheek, Zexion grinned. "I think so. If that's alright with you, of course."

"Of course, yea, I just-I wasn't sure if, um… yea. Okay." Unable to keep the grin off his face, Demyx held the door open for Zexion, feeling vaguely as though he might simply float away at any given moment.

The others looked up as the two boys entered the dimly-lit living room. Riku's house was fairly small, and managed to maintain a cozy feel despite the expensive, modern electronics. Some parts of the house didn't seem to be, well, finished, and it was strangely laid-out, but at the same time, one of the coolest houses Demyx could ever remember being in. He had briefly seen Riku's room on the nickel-tour he'd been given upon arriving, and it was possibly the coolest bedroom he had ever seen. One of the walls was made entirely of bulletin board material, and was covered in old postcards, photographs, letters, drawings, pictures from magazines, posters of bands, notes from Sora, anything Riku felt was worthy of being tacked onto the wall - which was a lot, and Demyx had spent almost all of the time they'd been in there studying the various articles, fascinated. Another wall housed a huge window, with a beautiful view of the city, and Riku's abnormally huge bed was covered by a massive, forest green comforter. Demyx hadn't been entirely sure what some of the electronics were, but Riku seemed to have more than one complicated stereo around, and a snazzy new laptop on the bed by his pillow, a few band stickers stuck onto the outside, not to mention a large amp buried beneath clothes in the corner. When Demyx had asked if Riku played guitar or something, he had simply snorted and shook his head, vaguely mentioning something about his dad's lack of storage space before ushering him out of his bedroom.

Either way, the living room was no exception, and while the couches were the Old-But-Strangely-Comfortable-Brown-Plaid-And-Kind-Of-Falling-Apart type, they were situated around a giant, flat-screen TV mounted above a gas fireplace, which Riku had turned on to rival the cold, snowy night outside.

"Do we have punch?"

Zexion nodded, smiling as he carefully set the punch bowl onto the coffee table, which, for all practical purposes, appeared to be a large piece of aesthetically pleasing driftwood with the top chopped off to make it flat. Very artsy, Demyx thought, as he watched Zexion's dainty fingers plucking the bottle from his back pocket.

"100 proof, plain Absolut," Zexion said, setting it down beside the punch bowl and taking a seat on one of the couches. "Do with it what you want. The punch is delicious either way."

"Count me in."

Demyx looked up as he placed the cups on the table, his ears perking up at the unfamiliar voice. A girl he'd never seen before, assumedly Riku's cousin, had come around the corner from the hall, and she could practically have borrowed all her clothes from Zexion, judging by the style she wore.

"Oh, Demyx, you've been in the kitchen this whole time, so you guys haven't met, I guess," Riku said, nodding to the girl. "Guys, this is Paine. Paine, this is Demyx, and Zexion, and you met all the girls, and Sora."

She nodded her greeting in return before climbing over the couch to sit by Zexion. "I like your eyeliner," she offered, taking the liberty of being the first to try the punch, though not without adding a significant dose of vodka first.

"Thanks," he replied, obviously pleased as the others began to drink the punch as well, all making it clear how much they liked it.

As he took a seat on Zexion's other side, Demyx suddenly wished he had cool eyeliner, too, and that he was wearing tight black jeans and a studded belt, and-and something, anything other than the simple, navy blue t-shirt and light blue jeans he had picked out that morning. And-and dammit, his fingernails still weren't clean, and he couldn't help but feel a little dejected as Paine's smooth, silky laugh flitted past his ears, Zexion's eyes and smile fixed on her instead of him.

_A gentleman would go slow, and I didn't go slow, and I freaked him out, and she's much more like him than I am, and-_

Demyx jumped a little as he felt Zexion's pinky finger snaking around his own, and suddenly felt dumb for being so insecure as the other boy turned to flash him one of those intoxicating smiles, his foot playfully prodding Demyx's ankle as he laughed, that contagious laugh, and soon Demyx was laughing too, and ladling out another cup of punch, watching the fire with satisfaction and wondering vaguely in the back of his mind if Axel and Roxas were ever going to show up.

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Roxas groaned as he woke up for what he thought must have been the 800th time, his neck stiff from leaning against the car window, and the car surprisingly quiet. They had finally finished all of their pickups and gotten them to the school by around 6:00, just in time to close down for the night, at which point one of the long-time volunteers had informed them that they didn't accept _that_ kind of chair, and that they were legally obligated to drive it all the way back to the donor's house. Rush hour traffic and slick roads had slowed them down, and by the time they had reached the house, it was around 7:30. Roxas had been all too aware, the entire day, of how little sleep he had gotten the night before. Every time they got in the car, he'd tried to get at least a little sleep, usually to no avail. Glancing at the clock as he cracked his neck, he sighed.

"8:00? Really? Do you think we can get out of a cashiering shift from spending this much time driving around on pickup day?"

Axel laughed, tapping his fingers on the steering wheel as he searched for a good CD in the side of the door. "I wish. They'd probably just say we were lying. They won't even reimburse me for gas, so…"

Roxas sighed, stretching his arms as he stared out the front windshield. It was snowing harder now, but it looked nice under the streetlights on the highway.

_Almost like a snow-globe or something… _

Roxas had always been comforted by the sight of lights at night. When he was younger, Sora would joke that he was like a moth, and he was gonna get sucked into a light someday, but he didn't really mind. He didn't like the dark at all, save for the fact that driving at night was, in his opinion, one of the best things in the world, but he only really liked that because of the contrast between the dark night all around and the bright headlights and streetlights and dashboard lights – though the best were the city lights, when you could see them from farther away. Part of the reason he couldn't wait to get his license was simply so he could drive around at night and look at all the lights, and he suspected that this would probably end up being dangerous, since he wouldn't be paying attention to the road. For now, though, it just felt, for lack of a better word, good. All around good, he thought, everything about where he was, even that little ache in his neck and the way his eyes felt heavy.

Axel had finally located a CD and popped it in, and Roxas was kind of surprised to hear something slow and jazzy start to play, instead of the usual screaming, or a revival of the two hour long Jimi Hendrix marathon they'd exhausted earlier in the day.

"What do I care how much it may storm? I got my love to keep me warm..."

As the redhead began to sing softly, Roxas raised his eyebrows. He had the urge to make a snarky comment, to tease Axel about his unexpected selection of the slow, soft music, but something stopped him – he was overcome with the feeling of utter contentedness, and he suddenly hoped that the song would never end, and he could sit there in the passenger's seat, the heat on full blast, watching the snow dance in the headlights and the other cars passing by, and staring at the city as they got closer in, the lights of the offices and apartments twinkling brighter than the stars ever seemed to, and listening to Axel sing like that, soft and calm and just-just real, he thought. _Real Axel, singing with me right here, completely unashamed and wonderful and damn, he looks good right now. _

The streetlights shed a yellowish light on Axel's face, and the shadows moved back and forth, over and over, as they passed each light, his mouth moving slightly as he sang, and his expression relaxed in a way Roxas had only seen a few times before – it was the same expression he would get a few minutes after sex, after they'd both settled down a bit. He'd lie back on the pillow and sigh, and stare at the ceiling with that same expression, though it would often disappear quickly, hidden behind a mischievous smirk or a playful grin as soon as he met Roxas's eyes. Then there was the occasional exception, when he'd spot the calm smile outside of that situation, like when he'd found Axel out on the porch at Hanukkah, staring pensively at the sunset, or the morning after Christmas, right before he'd stolen Roxas's phone to regale Namine with stories of her comfy sweatpants.

As the song came to an end, Axel glanced over at Roxas, who met his eyes with a quiet smile, and without saying a word, they understood each other. It didn't really seem to matter anymore that they'd been driving back and forth on the highway all day, or that they were both tired, and hungry, and achy, because those three minutes under the streetlights and the snow, lukewarm air seeping vaguely out of the heating vents, seemed, to both of them, to make it worth their time.

"We can listen to it again," Axel said quietly, the silence between tracks even emptier than usual as they both slowly emerged from their thoughts.

Roxas shook his head. "It wouldn't be the same," he said, rubbing his eyes as he sat up a little more in his chair.

Axel nodded. "I know what you mean…" After a short pause, he gestured to a large, green exit sign. "Listen, I know there's food at Riku's and all, but I'm starving, so… wanna make a McDonald's stop or something? I think it said there was a BK on that sign."

"Yea, that sounds good," Roxas said, realizing as the next song started that the moment was truly over, though the sense of warmth and comfort lingered on for the rest of the night.

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"It's 8:40, do you think we should call or something? I mean, I'm seriously starting to wonder if they're okay."

Riku shrugged. "I'm sort of hesitant to call, you know, in case they're… in the middle of something."

Sora made a face, taking another sip of his punch. "Gross, Riku. I'm sure they're not… doing anything like that."

"I meant a conversation, but that's a good point, now that you mention it."

The girls had long since retreated to the bathroom for Paine to teach them how to do their makeup as… dramatically as hers, and Demyx had located one of Riku's dad's many guitars, idly picking out chords from his spot on the floor with Zexion stretched out beside him. Sora and Riku had been playing cards for a while, enjoying the music, and as Sora reached for his cell phone, a loud knock sounded at the front door.

"Speak of the devil," Riku said, ignoring the girls, who had all dashed out of the bathroom at the sound of the knock.

"Is it them?"

"Oh my God, are they together? Let them in!"

"Riku, open the-"

"Shhh, all of you! I'm not opening the door until you all sit down, alright? Do you know how pathetic this looks?"

Zexion blinked slowly as he woke up, shooting Demyx a questioning look for a moment before he figured out what was going on on his own.

The girls all settled down on one couch or the other, attempting to look nonchalant as they gestured wildly for Riku to open up the door. Sighing, Riku turned the doorknob and swung the door open, revealing two bedraggled figures, already covered in snow from waiting on the front step. Each grunted a vague noise of greeting as they took off their shoes, and for a moment, they simply stood there, neither looking particularly lively in the awkward silence.

"So, um… how was pickup day for you guys?" Rikku asked, one eye done in a dramatic pink hue, the other covered in sparkly green shadow.

"Long."

"Cold."

"Exhausting," Axel said, stretching his arms out above his head and yawning as he finished the word.

The silence continued, no one wanting to ask if that meant they were still broken up, until Demyx caught a slight mischievous twinkle in Axel's eye, only a few seconds before Axel dropped his arms, letting one land gently around Roxas's shoulders.

The tension in the room disappeared both immediately and visibly – as if everyone had just let out a huge sigh of relief, and suddenly, everyone was chatting, the girls with each other and Zexion with Demyx and Sora, and Riku was finally closing the door.

"Jeez, you guys are soaked from the snow," he remarked, tugging at Roxas's dripping t-shirt. "Do you want me to throw these in the dryer? You can borrow some of my clothes if you want."

Both boys nodded, eager to finally be warm, and they tried their best not to get everything wet as they followed Riku to his room. Axel marveled at the decorations as they walked in, and while Riku and Roxas searched for suitable clothes, he examined the amp in the corner.

"This is really nice, man, why's it buried in here? Do you even use it?"

Riku shook his head, handing Roxas an old, black tank top and a pair of sweatpants. "It's my dad's, he plays guitar in a band, and when we were soundproofing his practice room over the summer he didn't have anywhere else to put some of his stuff, so it ended up in here. We never really finished repainting the walls after we put them back together, and then Paine was coming to visit, so my mom just turned it into a guest room, and now… all of my dad's music stuff is still lying around the rest of the house."

"Your dad's in a band?" Axel asked, idly watching Roxas struggling to remove his soaked t-shirt as he approached the dresser.

Riku nodded. "They're not famous or anything, though. You've never heard of them, I can guarantee it. He drives racecars, too. And makes watches. I guess he's kind of… eccentric."

"No kidding," Axel said, eyebrows raised. Accepting the gym shorts and t-shirt he was offered, he too began to change.

Roxas had managed to get changed, and he wadded his wet clothes into a ball before handing them to Riku.

"Um, I know this is probably really rude to come over here and then just disappear, but I can hardly keep my eyes open… Do you think I could just sleep in here for a little while?" he asked, edging towards the large, fluffy bed.

"No! Er…" Riku turned a little red, one hand gripping Roxas's arm tightly as the blond had reached for the comforter. "Sora and I were… up here. Earlier. You, um… you can sleep in the guest room if you want. I just changed the sheets in there for Paine, and if you just want to lie down for a while, she won't mind."

Looking only mildly disgusted, Roxas took a large step away from the bed. "That would be great. Thanks, Riku."

Axel simply smirked as he handed Riku his wet clothes, and as they walked back down the hall, he turned to Riku with a quizzical look. "You said the guest room is soundproof? Since it's your dad's practice room?"

Riku nodded. "Yea. We soundproofed it as sort of a summer project, since my mom kept complaining about the noise when my dad wanted to practice at night."

"Hmm."

"It's the second door on the right if you keep going straight down the hall," he said, pointing the door out to Roxas as they arrived at the living room.

"I'll just go with for a second," Axel murmured, ushering Roxas ahead of him down the hall. "Tell the others I'll be right there, ok?"

Riku waved as they disappeared into the door, heading back into the living room to sit down.

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Roxas sighed softly as he relaxed amongst the warm blankets, relieved to finally have somewhere warm and comfortable to lie down. He opened his eyes again as he heard the sound of the door shutting gently, smiling up at Axel as he approached the bed.

"What's up? I'm seriously tired, I'm not just trying to avoid being around everyone or anything," he said, scooting over a little to allow Axel room to sit down.

"Oh, I know," Axel said, pulling the covers back enough to get fully under them. "I just wanted to… I dunno. We've been in the car all day, so I haven't really had the chance to, um…"

"To…?"

Axel looked embarrassed for a moment before giving up and pouncing on the smaller boy, pulling him in close to his chest and burying his nose in his messy, blond hair. Roxas had half been expecting it, and he let his eyes fall closed as he gently wrapped his arms around Axel. After a moment, he felt the redhead move a little, and he opened his eyes to find a hopeful expression on Axel's face.

"Kiss me?"

Pulling himself up enough to sit straddling Axel's stomach, Roxas grinned before leaning back down over him and pressing his lips against the redhead's. It felt strangely invigorating to be on top of the other boy, and Roxas found he rather liked the feeling of control. After a few soft, tentative kisses, he found himself pressed hard against Axel, his tongue hungrily exploring the older boy's mouth as he pinned Axel's shoulders down against the bed. Figuring it didn't hurt to let Roxas feel a bit adventurous, Axel allowed him to remain in charge for a while, lying back and enjoying the attention the blond lavished upon him, and little by little inching Roxas's shirt up until he finally had to break their kiss to pull it off. In the moment the blond leaned back in to continue the kiss, Axel finally sat up; rolling over so Roxas lay beneath him as he studied the familiar body. Running his hands across Roxas's chest, he didn't even really have to look to know where he was – he navigated Roxas's body by feel, pausing at the familiar dips and curves, and feeling the slight change in texture where he had that one scar from gym class, the raised nub of each nipple, the sharp intake of breath as his fingers lingered on the small sensitive spot near the nape of his neck. Axel loved it all… how soft and smooth Roxas's skin was, and the sounds of his little gasps and moans as he leaned down to bite gently at that same sensitive spot, the trail of wiry blond hair disappearing beneath the waistband of his boxers and the feeling of those bitten-down fingernails digging just a little bit into Axel's back as he moved. Feeling a sharp tug, Axel raised his eyes for a moment and realized Roxas was tugging insistently at his shirt, the blond merely muttering "off" in response to the questioning glance. Axel happily obliged, and in a successful attempt at being sexy, crossed his arms across his body, pulling his shirt off in one fluid motion and letting it drop to the floor beside the bed. He enjoyed the hungry gaze Roxas fixed on him, even more confident than he used to be now that he had gained a little muscle mass, and he enjoyed teasing the boy even more. For some reason, he didn't mind moving slow this time, and in fact, he found he wanted to. Savoring every taste, every touch, he kept a good handle on Roxas, refusing to let things move quickly at all, regardless of how worked up the blond got.

"Ax… you're going… too slow…"

Giving in a little bit, Axel assisted Roxas in tugging off his sweats and boxers, adding those to the growing pile of clothing on the floor, and he scooted far enough down on the bed to lean in and lick, tantalizingly slowly, at the head of Roxas's cock, stopping for a moment when he heard Roxas chokingly silencing what would have been a loud moan.

"Babe, we're in a soundproof room. Don't hold back."

"I…"

"It's sexy, ok? I like it, so… don't worry. No one's gonna hear."

Roxas nodded shakily before laying his head back again and pushing his hips up toward Axel, desperate for friction.

Axel laughed quietly as he continued to lick criminally slowly, switching his tactics occasionally to take as much into his mouth as he could, and finally picking up the pace a bit when Roxas allowed a few undignified whimpers to escape his throat. He began to use his hands, twisting them in opposite directions faster and faster as Roxas stammered out mangled attempts at his name. After a minute, though, he drew back one hand, eliciting an unhappy "_fuck_, no, don't stop…" from Roxas before he wetted his fingers and gently pushed them inside the blond, stretching him out as he continued to suck lightly. Giving one last slow lick, he sat up completely, ignoring the glare Roxas gave him as he spread the boy's legs.

"Ax… I'm so close," he whined, glaring harder as the redhead stopped him from touching himself. "I wanna come…"

"So do I," Axel replied, nudging Roxas's legs further apart until he could really get between them. Settling down on top of the other boy, he slipped his shorts and boxers off before guiding himself inside, shivering as he heard him moan. He attempted to respond to Roxas's expression with a cocky, self-important grin, but as he looked up, the blond rocked his hips forward, and Axel could hardly believe how good it felt, how much he had missed the slick, tight feeling of Roxas around him.

"Fuck," he murmured, unable to move for moment, his head spinning and his voice ragged. He braced his arms on either side of the blond's head as he began to move inside of him, his eyes fixed on the other boy's desperate expression, Roxas's loud moans filling his ears. His breathing became shaky, too, as he pushed harder and faster, Roxas squirming beneath him.

"A-Axel, _please, _I n-need…I…"

Finally amenable to Roxas's requests, Axel steadied himself on one arm, reaching down with the other hand to touch the blond's need, pumping and squeezing hard as he felt himself getting closer to the edge.

An embarrassingly helpless groan escaped from Roxas's lips as he came, his fingernails scraping desperately across Axel's back. Axel, too, let out a strangled moan as he reached his own peak, the pain of Roxas scratching at him dissolved in the other sensations wracking his body. Panting and trembling, he held himself up with his arms, unwilling to get the guest bed messy. Extending one arm as far as he could, he managed to get a hold on the box of Kleenex on the bedside table, and he sat up a bit so he could clean them both off, his heart still pounding in his ears. Roxas closed his eyes, enjoying the other boy's touch on his still-sensitive skin, and only opened them when he felt Axel climbing off of him. Spotting the long, red marks on the redhead's back, he grimaced.

"Ax, you're bleeding… I-I'm sorry, I didn't know I was that, uh…yea…"

Axel laughed as he buried the wadded up Kleenex beneath the papers and candy wrappers in the trash can. "It's fine. Kinda kinky, you know? Demyx will be impressed." Tossing Roxas his boxers and Riku's gym shorts, he continued. "Put these back on, ok? I don't want to get the bed all gross or anything. Plus, you wanted to sleep, right?"

Roxas nodded as he pulled on the gym shorts, regardless of the fact that Riku had given him the sweatpants. It was cold in the house, and if he was going to sleep under the blankets, Axel would be better off in the living room wearing sweats than he would be in shorts. Axel, however, did not head straight into the living room as Roxas had expected. After getting his pants on, he climbed back into bed alongside Roxas, laying his head on the blond's chest and letting out a long sigh.

Roxas smiled, running a hand through the soft, red spikes. After a few minutes like that, he finally spoke.

"We're kind of weird animals, aren't we?"

When Axel simply gave him a questioning look, he continued. "I mean, ok, well… Not necessarily weird, just… interesting. I mean, look at the ways people show affection. It's all about touching, which is sort of obvious, I guess… but at the same time, I mean, why do we do this stuff? We're just… laying here. Not accomplishing anything but-but we're together, and we're in constant contact, and every little movement is another way to show, um, to show... I mean… Like that, how you're kinda rubbing the back of my hand while you're holding it. No, don't stop! It's-it's just this little thing, and it's not even… I dunno, it's just a little tiny motion, but at the same time, it's nice, it's really nice, and when you stop it's almost unbearable, it's like I need you to be touching me. And not even just touching, because I mean, you're laying on top of me, and that's touching me, but the-the movement, the friction, even when it's not sexual, it's like this weird _thing_ that we do without even thinking, and we can be laying here not even talking at all and we both _know, _we both know that both of us want to be touched, and where, and how, and it's-it's just _instinctual_, and I mean… how do we know this stuff? I… I think that… I think people really need this, you know? People need to be touched and loved and held onto by someone else, on a really basic level, like with food, and water, and shelter. Like there's a little light that goes on inside when you have someone, and-and when you're alone, the light goes out, and it's all dark and-and bad, and- are you even listening?"

Axel looked up, a mischievous grin plastered across his face. "Squish," he said, poking at Roxas's stomach playfully. "Squish," he said again, poking at his own stomach in comparison.

Roxas sighed, unable to keep from smiling at the other boy's face. "I guess that's a no."

"You were rambling," Axel replied, continuing to poke Roxas in the stomach.

Poking Axel back, Roxas raised his eyebrows. "Jeez, look at you, you're not skeletal anymore, huh? Still skinny, but not skeletal."

Axel nodded, sitting up. "Riku's been feeding me a lot of rice lately. I think someone must have given him a whole bunch for free or something, because he keeps dropping by with like, 15-pound bags of rice. He even gave me a rice recipe book. So I've been eating a lot of rice."

"So he's still helping you out with food, then? That's good… I kind of wondered if you were going to starve to death in the time that we weren't together, since you usually eat at our house a lot, and me and Sora would go get you bread and stuff. I'm glad Riku was still there for you when I was… being dumb." Roxas looked away, picking at his nails.

Laughing softly, Axel pulled Riku's t-shirt back on. "Of course he's still helping me with food. He made like… a vow. Anyways, it's not like Sora stopped coming around either. If it was up to Riku, I'd eat nothing but organic, healthy food. Sora's the one who gets me ice cream and Oreos, although admittedly, he eats most of them."

"Sora still got you food?"

Axel nodded, laughing again at the incredulous expression on Roxas's face. "Of course he did, Rox, it's not like I'm just 'Roxas's boyfriend,' or something. I'm actually _friends_ with Sora and Riku, as hard as it may be for you to believe."

"Yea, I guess you're right… I just figured Sora would have stopped hanging out with you when we broke up."

"Pshh, no. Unlike _someone_ I know, he doesn't just sever all ties at the drop of a hat."

"Ax… you know I'm sorry."

"Yea yea, I know, I'm just teasing you…" Axel smiled, ruffling Roxas's hair as he climbed out of bed. "You were tired, though, right? So go on and sleep. I'll come and get you when it's time to go, alright?"

"But-"

"Hush, you! Sleep!"

Axel was already pulling the blankets up over Roxas's shoulders, and he gave him a light kiss on the cheek before turning out the light and heading into the hallway. As he turned to close the door, Roxas sat up.

"Ax. _Axel_!"

"Hmm?"

"Can you, um… Can you leave the door open a little? It's-it's really dark in here."

"What, you're afraid of the dark?"

Roxas was silent, and he turned a little red before snuggling back down against the pillow. "Never mind. It's fine. Close it."

Smiling to himself, Axel left the door half open and headed for the living room. He had the urge to turn back, to curl up with Roxas and hold onto him and trade kisses and teasing words, but the chance was gone, he realized, as he entered the living room, and they'd come all the way out here to see Riku and all of them, after all…

_He needs his sleep anyway… been falling asleep on his feet all day…_

The others were fairly quiet, although the girls could still be heard from the bathroom; Riku and Sora had welcomed Zexion into their card game, and Demyx was still picking out melodies on Riku's dad's guitar.

Demyx looked up and smiled as Axel entered the room, nodding his greeting. "Lookin' good tonight," he remarked jokingly, gesturing at the sweatpants, which were noticeably short on Axel, and the t-shirt, which actually fit quite nicely.

"Yea, they're a little short, huh?" Axel said, laughing as he tried to push them down enough to seem the right length. "I don't think I can wear them any lower and still cover my ass…"

The others laughed, and Axel sat down in front of the fire, facing the card game to watch. "Riku, Sora… Little Emo," he said, greeting each boy in turn. Catching Demyx's glare from where the blond sat behind Zexion, he sighed and cleared his throat. "Zexion, that is…"

Zexion laughed, rearranging the cards in his hand. "I don't care if you call me Little Emo. Really, I've gotten used to it."

"See? He likes it, Dem. Don't deny him his simple pleasures…"

"Man, shut _up_."

Axel simply laughed, turning to the fire and scooting closer, warming his palms within a foot of the flames.

"How can you sit that close?" Sora asked, leaning his back against the couch behind him as he picked up a card with his toes. "It always burns my face."

Axel shrugged, rolling his pants up to his knees before stretching out in front of the fire. "Feels good to me…"

Holding his hand out in Sora's direction, he pulled his glove off and flexed his fingers back. He narrowed his eyes, deep in concentration for a moment before delicate flames could be seen flowing across his palm and up towards his fingers. "See? It feels good. Don't touch, though… It doesn't feel good to anyone else, as far as I've been able to tell."

Zexion's eyes widened – he had never seen Axel's fire before, and he turned to Demyx in utter disbelief. "So… he _literally_ burned his gloves off that day? Like, with real fire? This kind of thing?"

Demyx nodded, smiling as he watched the flames rolling across his friend's fingers. "Pretty cool, huh?"

"But… how…?"

Axel shrugged again, placing his palm across his forehead as the flames died out, a euphoric smile spreading across his face as the heat soaked into his skin. "Dunno," he said finally, slipping his glove back on. "I've always been this way."

"As long as you don't burn my clothes, it's cool," Riku said, giving Sora a disapproving look as the brunet accidentally folded a card with his toes.

"I should," Axel said darkly, shooting Riku a glare. "You owe me a shirt, Riku. Don't think I haven't noticed its disappearance!"

"I don't even have it anymore," Riku said, laughing at Axel's exaggerated glare. "Sora wore it on Valentine's Day, and I haven't seen it since."

"It's in the laundry at my house," Sora said, attempting to flatten out the card he'd bent. Grinning, he turned to Axel. "We were wondering how long it'd take you to realize it was gone."

Axel groaned, turning his head back to the fire. "I _noticed_ a long time ago, I just kept forgetting to mention it."

"And whose fault is that?"

Laughing, Axel closed his eyes, taking in the heat from the fire and the sounds of his friends' laughter mixing with his own.

_I'm back with Rox. And I'm warm. And I have all these friends… Little Emo's not so bad – he seems to be functioning normally in a social situation. Sora and Riku are… Sora and Riku. And Demyx is here, too. God, this time last year, he was the only one I could hang out with like this, just-just hanging out, not really doing anything specific but… being around each other. A year ago… things have changed so much. Everything in my life is different. **I'm** different. Everything has changed, and here it is, March, and I didn't even see it coming… but I like it. I'm happy. Holy shit, I'm **happy**! That… never happens. Or, I guess, it never **used to** happen. _

"Ax. _Axel_. Hello?"

Axel looked up, snapping himself out of his thoughts as he realized Sora was waving in his face. "Eh?"

"Should I deal you in for this game?"

Axel nodded, wrenching himself away from the fire to scoot close enough to play. Grinning, he looked around at his opponents. "You guys better not cry when you lose…"

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**AN:** Awwws, how nice for Axel... Err, yea, makeup sex, and jazz! I love that song... this is gonna sound nerdy, but my friend used to tap dance to it, so I've been hearing it for years, because I'd be at her house and she'd be practicing, and, well, yea. Don't discount jazz, it's good stuff. Anyways, not a whole lot to say (On a side note, whoever it was who reccomended Gravitation - I borrowed 1-10 from my friend and read them obsessively, waaahhh I need more...), I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter! Next one should be up fairly soon. (I know, I'm so specific... XD)  
**Thanks so much for reading, and please don't hesitate to leave me a review and let me know what you thought!**


	24. You Know, I Love Us Too

**Disclaimer**: Kingdom Hearts does not belong to me! Neither do any of the lyrics in this chapter. Those would belong to Bacilos, Ben Folds, and the Scissor Sisters, respectively.  
**AN:** Agggh, oh man. Ok, first of all, **thank you so much for all the reviews on the last chapter!** The alerts were down for a while, so it threw some things off a little, but we have recovered! However, for that reason, and becuase I have had a massive amount of schoolwork, I wasn't able to reply to all the reviews on the last chapter. In fact, I didn't make it to... a lot of them. I'm so sorry! I'll try hard to reply to all the signed reviews on this chapter, and the anonymous ones at the beginning of the next one. Also, I told a few people this would be up on Sunday night - to those of you who I did, I'm so sorry about that too! I have been massively busy...  
**On this chapter specifically though! **Oh my God! This got long... This is another of the chapters that was supposed to be one, but got far too long to be just one, so I had to split it in two. Believe it or not, this is the first half. It's sort of uneven though, as this is.. most of the chapter. XD I should have split it more evenly, but it seemed like any sooner would have been an awkward spot to cut it off. Anyways, on with the story, yes? **Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoy the chapter! It's a lovey-dovey friendship chapter, infused with music, too! Oh boy! XD **

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"Riku! _Riku!_"

Riku turned around and around, searching for whoever was calling his name in the crowd of students trying to get into the auditorium.

"Hey! Over here! Riku!"

A pair of waving arms caught his eye, and he followed them down until he recognized Roxas's face; the blond was jumping up and down to be seen above the crowd of generally taller people. Pushing his way past a group of giggling sophomores, Riku made his way over to him, all too aware that he was walking in the wrong direction.

"What's up?"

Roxas looked relieved to finally have caught his attention, and he looked up at the older boy hopefully. "You wanna sit with me? I dunno where any of the girls are, except Namine, who's in that music class, so… yea. Please?"

"Yea, of course I'll sit with you. I wanna get a good spot, though. Sora's really worked up about this assembly, so… when he asks me if I saw every little detail later, I want to at least vaguely know what I'm talking about."

Before Roxas could respond, Riku had grabbed his arm, and was dragging him through the masses of students into the auditorium, pushing the underclassmen out of his way. The annual Student Music assembly, this year occurring towards the beginning of April, allowed the entire school out of half of 4th period and all of 5th period. Riku was fairly sure it was literally _the_ only thing Sora had talked about for the past month – they had signed up for matching shifts cashiering at the Fundraiser, during which time Riku had been informed what felt like at least 4,000 times that Sora was extremely nervous but also "so, _so_ excited" and that it was going to be "_really_ cool" and that he absolutely could _not_ be sick that day. Axel hadn't been quite as excited. He would simply smile, shoot Roxas a sunny look, and laugh, saying only "you'll see" when asked what his second song would be. Sora refused to leak any information to Riku as to what _he_ would be singing, and to this moment, all Riku knew was that Axel was accompanying him on the piano. Either way, the result of an entire high school let out of class to listen to their classmates sing was utter chaos, and by the time Riku and Roxas found seats, it was already 10 minutes after when the assembly had been scheduled to begin.

The room finally began to hush as they noticed Namine on stage, fiddling impatiently with one of the microphones and tapping her foot.

"Hello? Check? Ok. Guys, I really need you to quiet down so we can start this thing…"

As the house lights dimmed, the noise finally died down, and Namine blinked a few times in the bright stage lights.

"Alright!" she said finally, seemingly adjusted. "Hi guys, my name is Namine, and as a member of the 4th period Musical Expression class, I'd like to welcome you to the annual Student Music assembly!"

After pausing for the applause to die down, she continued. "Today we have a wide array of musical styles and genres, and before we start, I'd like to just remind you to please hold any applause until the _end_ of the song, although I know you'll still clap after really cool solos, even though I _just told you not to_… But anyway! There's some great music in store for you guys today, so since we're running a little late, let's just jump right in, yes? First up today is a friend of mine actually, one of the sweetest guys I've ever met, so be nice to him, ok? Let's give a warm welcome to Demyx!"

The crowd broke into applause again as Namine left the stage, Demyx emerging from the right wing with an acoustic guitar. After adjusting the microphone for a second, he looked up, smiling.

"Uh, hi," he said, giving a small wave to the audience. "Umm... This song's in Spanish, so you guys probably don't know it. I hope you like it anyway, it's called Caraluna. So… yea. Okay. I'm gonna start now… Oh! Um, and I didn't write it. It's by a group called Bacilos. Los Bacilos maybe? Bacilos. Um, right. Okay!"

Riku snorted, shaking his head in amusement as Demyx accidentally dropped the microphone, its connection with the floor amplified throughout the auditorium. Even from a distance, he could see the blond's mortified expression as he hastily picked it up, his face bright red as he made sure it was well secured on the stand.

"Heh… Sorry about that…. Um, take 2!"

The audience quieted down again as he began to play, his musical abilities far outreaching his gracefulness, or lack thereof.

_"Quien dice que no duelen, las huellas en la arena..."_

Leaning his head toward Riku, Roxas raised his eyebrows. "I didn't know Demyx spoke Spanish. Did you?"

Riku shrugged before whispering his reply, ignoring the glare he got from a teacher in the row ahead of them. "He's in Spanish 5. I think he takes AP, actually."

Roxas's eyebrows shot even higher than before as he stared at the swaying, singing figure on the stage. "_Demyx?_ Demyx is taking AP's?"

"What? He's really smart. You didn't know that?"

_"Y yo sé que tal vez, te siga usando asi, robándote en mi inspiración..."_

"Well, I mean..." Roxas withered under Riku's glare, not entirely sure why he'd assumed Demyx wouldn't be taking any college-level courses except that he just _seemed_ that way. "I-I dunno, I guess… I mean, he sells pot, Riku. Plus, he's- he's just so… Demyx."

"Yea, the same Demyx that won that weird Chemistry award last year. The same Demyx that spends 3 free periods a week tutoring 6th graders over at Kennedy Jr. High. I can definitely see how you'd be surprised he's smart."

"Really? He tutors 6th graders?"

_"Mientras siga viendo tu cara en la cara de la luna..."_

Riku nodded. "In Spanish."

_"Mientras siga escuchando tu voz, entre las olas, entre la espuma..."_

"Well he's got a good accent; I guess he'd be good at teaching it."

Riku shook his head, smiling. "No, I mean… he talks to them in Spanish. He's one of like, 5 bilingual tutors there. He helps the kids with math and science."

_"Mientras tenga que cambiar la radio de estacion, porque cada cancion me hable de ti, de ti, de ti..."_

Roxas was silent for a moment, watching Demyx's hair swinging as he sang, his eyes reflecting the bright lights. "Well, alright then. You learn something new every day, huh?"

"Shh!"

Riku ignored the teacher once again, simply settling into his chair as Roxas made apologetic hand motions in the seat next to him. Sora and Axel were listed third in the program, and he planned on sleeping through the string quartet performing second. He did, however, stay awake long enough to clap for Demyx when he was done, the blond blushing and grinning as he thanked the audience, and managing to trip over the mic cable on his way offstage. Roxas respected his wishes, remaining silent through the excruciatingly long, self-composed piece of classical music, although he did shake the older boy awake as Axel emerged from backstage, the redhead sitting cross-legged on the piano bench and looking expectantly over his shoulder for Sora. The brunet appeared a few seconds later, grinning nervously at Axel before approaching the microphone.

After scanning the crowd for a moment, he finally located Riku and Roxas, and his eyes lit up as Riku gave him an encouraging smile and a small wave. Turning to Axel, he nodded, and Riku was fairly sure he could see Sora's knees shaking as Axel began to play.

Roxas was torn as to who he should be looking at, his eyes fixed on Axel's hands as he played – he wasn't wearing his gloves, and Roxas was struck by how long his fingers looked even from far away. At the same time, he felt obligated to watch Sora, his brother looking about ready to faint, holding onto the microphone stand to steady himself.

"I-I…"

Sora's voice cracked a little as he tried to sing, and Axel looked up as he choked, seamlessly repeating the beginning of the song as he eyed the brunet. Sora cleared his throat, blinked a few times, and turned to nod at Axel again, though the redhead had already covered for him.

"Is he oka-"

"Shh!" Riku held up a hand, silencing Roxas as he watched Sora's face, willing the boy not to get any more nervous than he already was.

Sora took a deep breath as he heard the piano part reaching his cue to sing, and he found Riku in the audience again, smiling as he began.

"_I don't get many things right the first time, in fact, I am told that a lot…"_

Riku's hand wavered in the air in front of Roxas for a moment before dropping back down to their shared armrest.

_"Now I know all the wrong turns and stumbles and falls brought me here…"_

Roxas found it even harder now to keep his eyes in one spot – Axel had his hair tied back in a ponytail, and Roxas wasn't sure if that darkened spot on his neck was simply a shadow or if he really had bitten that hard the other day, and Sora's voice wasn't shaking anymore, and now he had Riku to take into consideration; the older boy's expression as he watched Sora was hard to define, and Roxas couldn't help but sneak glances out of the corner of his eye at the silver-haired boy.

_"And where was I before the day that I first saw your lovely face? Now I see it every day…"_

Riku's eyes were fixed deliberately on Sora, and Roxas vaguely wondered how; after all, he was just _singing_, it wasn't like he was a particularly fascinating sight to see.

_"And I know, that I am, I am, I am… the luckiest."_

Riku's silver hair vaguely reminded Roxas of Zexion, because he had that kind of hair too, and he wondered for a moment where 'Little Emo' was.

_"What if I'd been born, 50 years before you in a house, on the street, where you live? Maybe I'd be outside as you passed on your bike – would I know?"_

Roxas wondered why he was suddenly so antsy. Was it his brother singing a love song, or was it the stuffy auditorium, or the girl next to him picking at her nail polish? Perhaps a mixture of the three…

_"And in a wide sea of eyes, I see one pair that I recognize… And I know, that I am, I am, I am… the luckiest."_

He watched her pick the last bit of polish off of her pinky finger, sharing in the sense of satisfaction he was sure she must have felt, and then the sudden onset of boredom he had tried to hold off. He studied his knee, where his jeans were starting to wear thin, and idly pulled at a thread from the end of his t-shirt.

_"Next door, there's an old man, who lived till his 90's and one day, passed away, in his sleep. And his wife, she stayed for a couple of days and passed away…"_

Roxas looked up, suddenly aware that the song had taken a different turn. He turned to Riku with a "what-the-fuck?" face, but the older teen didn't notice, his eyes still glued to Sora.

_"I'm sorry, I know that's a strange way to tell you that I know, we belong… That I know, that I am, I am, I am…"_

Sora paused, his smile small but definitely there as he stared Riku down.

_"The luckiest."_

Taking his hands off the microphone, Sora took a step back, his smile spreading with relief now that he was done, and when Axel finished off the song, and the audience broke into applause, he took the redhead's hand and dragged him off the piano bench to take a bow before leaving the stage.

Roxas wondered briefly if Riku's palms would bruise from clapping so hard. As the applause died down once again, he leaned over Riku's program.

"Who's next?"

Riku unfolded the bright yellow sheet of paper, running his finger down the list. "A bunch of people I don't know. Namine's playing flute after… two more people. And Demyx and Axel are last."

Roxas nodded, preparing himself for the rest of the assembly. Namine's flute would be good, but what he was really excited for was, of course, whatever Demyx and Axel were going to do. The two had both been so damn enigmatic about the whole thing, giving each other those knowing smiles… The only other person who had managed to get any information about it was Zexion.

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Zexion looked up, smiling as Sora crashed through the door to the greenroom downstairs, Axel following shortly thereafter.

"Ohmygod _Zexion_, did you hear? Did you hear me singing? And-and Axel was, um, um, piano-ing, and-and did you _hear_?"

Zexion nodded, grinning at the mockingly cheerful face Axel was making behind the brunet's back. "Yea, you guys were great. I could hear it on the monitor, so it was a little scratchy coming through, but I could tell you were good."

"Yea, yea," Axel said, whacking Sora in the back of the head as he walked past on his way to the boy's dressing room. "It's a good thing I'm so damn smooth, otherwise you would have had to cover your own ass after your little panic attack."

Sora looked down, rubbing his head where Axel had smacked him. "Sorry…"

As he turned to open the door, Axel spotted Sora's now sinking expression and shook his head, grinning. "Jeez, I'm just kidding. You were fine."

Sora continued to look gloomy, flopping down on one of the couches with a frown. "I hope Riku didn't notice. I totally choked, didn't I?"

"Riku was probably too busy staring at your pretty face and your shiny hair."

When Sora didn't reply, Axel sighed. "God, bipolar much? C'mere."

Sora simply sighed back, resting his elbows on his knees and letting his head fall forward. Feeling a tug on his hair, he looked up to find Axel squatting on the floor in front of him, giving him one of those Axel looks that would make him sort of laugh and look away after a minute, and then he'd look up and Axel would _still be looking at him_, and it would happen a few times before Sora would either smack him or run away, and then Axel would always smile and shake his head, thus ending the Axel look.

This time he just pouted, and when Axel found his usual technique wasn't working, he spoke. "You did just fine, ok? It just took a second for you to get started, but once you were there, you were great. You didn't miss any notes, or collapse in the middle, or shoot gross little snot-colored jellyfish out your eyes-"

Zexion snorted from across the room. "And we all know you've had trouble containing your eye jellyfish in the past…"

As quickly as he'd slumped down, Sora perked back up, his eyebrows shooting up as he laughed, although neither of the other boys was entirely sure why he was laughing so hard.

"It wasn't that funny," Axel muttered, smiling nonetheless as he stood up again. "Whatever, I gotta get changed. Demyx is probably in the dressing room wondering what the hell's taking me so long… Little Emo!"

"Yea?"

"You got all your stuff, right?"

Zexion nodded, gesturing to what looked like a small, black pencil case.

"Well, come on! Why are you just standing there? Let's go already!"

"Alright, alright, I'm coming, don't get your undies in a bundle…"

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Demyx looked up as he heard the faint sound of squabbling boys getting closer, Zexion and Axel bursting through the dressing room door a few seconds later.

"I said a little _normal _makeup, not-not- I refuse to let you put that shit on my face!"

"But the red would look cool with your hair…"

"Do I look like I give a flying fuck? Who the hell uses _red_ eye shadow? Why do you even _have _that?"

"I had it on yesterday, it looks fine!"

"Yea, that explains why all day yesterday I thought you looked like a fucking heroin junkie."

"Demyx likes it. Don't you, Demyx? Demyx said it looked sexy!"

Axel turned to gape at the blond, his disbelieving glare boring into the other boy's eyes. "Tell me that's not true. Please, please tell me he's making that up."

"It was fairly sexy, Ax."

"Oh my God…"

"But then again," Demyx added, cheerfully resuming his search for the shirt he'd left in the room earlier, "I only saw it briefly before I was… distracted…"

Axel made an exaggerated noise of disgust before snatching the makeup case from Zexion's hands.

"No red," he said, fiercely gesticulating with the case as he reached for the door to a separate dressing room with his free hand. "Now come on. We don't have time for this."

"Go change," Zexion said, pulling the shirt Demyx had been looking for out from underneath a couch cushion. "I'll be there in a second."

The door closed loudly behind Axel, leaving Demyx and Zexion alone in the main dressing room.

"Oh! Thanks," Demyx said, looking up as Zexion tossed him the shirt. "Where was it? I swear I left it over here… someone must have moved it."

"It was in the couch… Oh, please tell me you're not just wearing that, though. It's boring. Axel will totally upstage you."

Demyx grinned, looking down at the white t-shirt and jeans he was wearing. "Well, I thought you might be kind enough to trade pants," he said, raising an eyebrow at the other boy. "After all, yours are sexier. Plus, the shirt's kinda tight. And I'll have a guitar, which ups my sexiness tenfold."

Zexion blushed, glancing down at his pants. "They're just regular pants…"

He reddened even more as he realized how close they were all of a sudden, and then Demyx was kissing him, soft and sweet like he always was – but before Zexion could really get into it, he had pulled away a bit, those same lips drawn into a pout.

"Please?"

Zexion sighed, unbuttoning his pants and slipping them off as Demyx let out a small excited noise.

"Yay, I'll be so sexy! You just wait and see…"

Demyx's jeans were a little loose on Zexion, and wearing pants that weren't particularly fitted reminded him a little of his pajamas - although there was an unfortunate lack of drawstring to keep these up. He figured he'd just take Axel's belt when the redhead was done changing, and in the meantime, he let them hang low, briefly entertaining the idea that he might look kind of tough, like a gangster. He made a tough gangster face at himself in the mirror.

"Perfect!" Demyx cried, zipping up the dark brown pants. "They're tight, but not _too_ tight. Sexy, yet refined. Why are you making that face? Are you ok?"

"Oh! Nothing, I was just, um… I'm gonna need Axel's belt," Zexion said, realizing that in truth, the jeans were not even all that baggy, and were actually in the normal range of boy-jean bagginess.

"Emo! _Little Emo_, get in here!"

Demyx gave an apologetic look as Axel bellowed from behind the closed door for Zexion, although he couldn't help but laugh a little as the door opened, the redhead's arm extending out to grab at Zexion's shirt before dragging him in and slamming it closed again.

Muffled noises came from behind the door for a minute, the clearest being Zexion's voice exclaiming an indignant 'Hold still!' before a brief silence, and then a happy Axel noise. Seconds later, the door burst, open, Axel bounding over with Zexion in tow, screeching to a halt in front of Demyx and stifling Zexion in a tight hug.

"Demyx, your boyfriend made me pretty!"

Zexion flailed his arms miserably, trying to escape. The smell of cigarettes made him dizzy, and Axel had been smoking while he changed. Seemingly catching on, Demyx latched onto the boy as well, although Zexion soon realized he simply wanted to share in Axel's joy.

"I know, isn't he great? Your makeup looks so good! The shadow looks nice!"

"I thought it'd make me look all gross and emo, but he didn't use too much, and now it looks _good_!"

Demyx lapsed into squeals, his arms tightening even more, and Zexion vaguely wondered if he'd ever be able to breathe again.

"Dem, my eyes _shimmer_!"

"Uh huh, like _diamonds!_ Or the night sky!"

Dropping a wheezing Zexion into Demyx's arms, Axel took a large step back, his outfit met by a loud gasp of appreciation from Demyx. He had attempted to put together something strangely attractive, a tight white tank top meeting well-fitted black pants, held up by a pair of somehow un-nerdy suspenders. He had fastened a bright red tie loosely around his neck, and had managed to perch a top hat atop his usually unruly spikes. Paired with the dusting of shimmery black shadow across his eyelids and his naturally blush-worthy smirk, he looked undeniably sexy, although at the moment his excitement turned it a bit more towards the 'adorable' end of the spectrum.

"D'you think Roxas will like it?" he asked, turning to look at himself in the mirror.

"Of _course_ he will, babe, how could he _not_?"

Grinning, Axel turned back around to the other boys. "You're right. You're right, we're going to be amazing. We'll go down in school history. You know, we're right after a clarinet and violin duet, so we'll have to go out there with a lot of force, you know, to wake everyone up. Speaking of which," he added, eyeing Zexion, "Is Little Emo ok?"

"Oh my God, Zexion!" Demyx exclaimed, finally realizing that the other boy was, in fact, collapsed against him. He seemed to immediately calm himself, his out-of-control excitement disappearing into a concerned expression. "Are you ok?"

"I'm fine, I'm fine!"

He took a step away from Demyx, promptly wobbling and tripping on the too-long jeans, which slipped another few inches further down his hips as he fell back onto the couch. "Just a little dizzy, is all. Cigarettes, and, um, respiratory inhibitions due to hugging…"

"Er… sorry…" Axel looked a bit ashamed as he plopped down on the couch beside him, Demyx busily pinning Zexion's hair back so it wasn't over his eyes.

Zexion allowed himself a few deep breaths, his dizziness fading, before he turned each way to look at the other boys, their dismally apologetic expressions almost identical. Slowly, he started to laugh, looking back and forth between his dumbfounded, concerned, _adorable_ boyfriend and his bizarre, profoundly sorry, new friend, the latter's top hat falling down over his eyes. Each time he spotted their faces anew, it only seemed to fuel his laughter, and he wondered in the back of his head how the hell he'd had fun before he knew them.

"What? What's so-what's so funny?" Demyx asked, still bewildered as Axel, too, broke down laughing. "What are you guys-I-what's so…"

"I thought I was gonna die, you were hugging me so hard," Zexion choked out, gasping for air through his uncontrollable laughter. "I seriously thought you might hug me to death… You guys just went completely nuts, I swear… I don't think I've ever seen _anyone_ that excited in my life."

Demyx let out a small laugh, realizing in hindsight that when he and Axel both got excited, it could be a little overwhelming for any others involved; vague memories of meek waitresses asking if they could please quiet down just a little and if perhaps Axel could put his shirt back on flitting through the back of his mind.

Before he could speak, however, a loud knock came at the door, followed by Namine's voice.

"Hello? You guys in there? Demyx and Axel need to come up, they're up next, and crappy clarinet girl just started her solo, so…"

Demyx and Axel both looked up at each other, the spark of excitement reentering both of their eyes.

Zexion smiled, pushing them both off the couch. "Knock 'em dead, ok? This school needs to be shown a real good time, and I believe you guys are the only two people fully capable of that. Although Axel, do try to keep your clothes on."

"I'm not making any promises…" the redhead grumbled, winking at Zexion as he stood up and straightened his clothes out. Picking up his hat for a moment, he smoothed his hair down before setting it back down, tilted a bit to the side, and turning to Demyx. "Ready?"

Demyx didn't answer, he just grinned.

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Roxas felt the spark of life returning to his body as the girl with the clarinet followed her partner off stage, Namine walking out in their wake.

Taking the microphone, the blond cleared her throat loudly in hope that she could get people awake _before_ Axel and Demyx took the stage.

"Alright, you guys. Our next performers are the final act of today's assembly, although you've seen both of them out here earlier on. Before they begin, I'd like, on behalf of the entire Musical Expression class, to thank you for being a great audience, and say that we all hope you've enjoyed the music today. And for those of you who aren't seniors, you should really consider taking the class next year – it's really fun, I swear! So after these guys are done, you're all dismissed, and you should head directly to your 6th period class." She paused for a moment, looking offstage with a quizzical expression. Rolling her eyes, she turned back to the mic and sighed, taking a small piece of paper out of her pocket to read. "And before they start, Axel and Demyx want me to read you this message: I hope you guys are ready to be rocked, all night long, like a couple of- oh my God, Axel! I'm not reading this!"

A wave of laughter swept over the audience, and Roxas turned to see that even Riku was not impervious; he was laughing just as hard as everyone else.

Namine cleared her throat again after shooting an angry glare backstage. "Ok, so our final performers today are Axel and Demyx, who took the extra time to adapt a song previously arranged for the piano to a guitar arrangement. Thank you all for being a great audience, and once again, when they're done, go directly to 6th period."

She stalked off stage, and the auditorium was silent for a moment before Axel and Demyx emerged, Demyx appearing to be pushed on stage, a dark red electric guitar in hand. Riku snorted as Axel stepped into the light, recognizing the mischievous grin on the redhead's face and wondering just how far the two on stage were going to go. He heard a small "Oh my _God_" from Roxas and turned to the blond, grinning.

"Yea, that's your man up there. The one in the suspenders and the top hat."

"Oh my God, he looks kind of like a stripper. A stripper just waiting to begin the show…"

"Complete with a tie to match his hair, although it's a little crooked, and his shirt doesn't have a collar, so it just looks… yea, he does kind of look like a stripper, huh?"

"Oh my God," Roxas repeated, seemingly unable to come up with anything else to say. As Axel and Demyx waited for the audience to quiet down, Roxas and Riku simply sat in a stunned silence.

"But… he looks like a classy stripper. Like, the stripper with the heart of gold, that also happens to be really… really hot," Roxas said slowly, vaguely wondering why Axel didn't wear clothing that tight on a regular basis.

Riku said nothing, watching Axel as he whispered something to Demyx on stage.

"I mean," Roxas continued, unfazed by Riku's silence, "I mean, like… _really_ hot. Like… um… wow, and he's mine, isn't he?"

Turning back to Roxas, Riku raised his eyebrows. "Yea. He is."

Roxas made a strange, fairly high pitched "hnn" sort of noise, his hand grasping the armrest tightly. "This isn't just me, right? I mean, he looks fucking amazing, right? Right? I'm not hallucinating, am I? This isn't just some wonderful, wonderful dream, is it?"

Riku sighed, silent as Roxas stared at him, a dreamy sort of smile of disbelief on the blond's face. "Yea, alright, he looks good."

_Not as good as your brother in a hooker dress, though…_

"I mean, _really_ good, though..."

"Yes."

"Like, like, he's just screaming out 'jump me, do me, touch me!'"

"Roxas, I already have a boyfriend, I don't need you to sell me yours."

"Huh?" the blond replied, obviously preoccupied as he watched Axel approach his own microphone again.

"If you all don't shut up, you'll miss the beginning," the redhead said bluntly, turning to nod at Demyx. "If you would, babe?"

Demyx grinned, and the audience quieted down as he began to play, a jaunty sort of chord progression that Roxas thought he vaguely recognized. _Adapted from piano… Oh my god, is this-_

"_Wake up in the mornin' with a head like 'what ya done?' This used to be the life but I don't need another one_…"

"Oh my God," Roxas whispered, the phrase quickly rising to the top of his 'Most Used Phrases in the Course of Two Minutes' chart.

Riku simply shook his head, his body shaking too with silent laughter as they both recognized the song.

_"So I play along when I hear that favorite song! I'm gonna be the one who gets it right…"_

Axel's hips were swaying with the beat, and he grinned even wider as he finally found Roxas and Riku in the audience.

"It's… it's…"

_"You better know when you're swingin' round the room, looks like magic's solely yours tonight…"_

Riku turned to Roxas, sharing a mutual look of disbelief and uncontrollable silent laughter at Axel's high falsetto, which was surprisingly good, and was getting a number of cheers from the girls in the room.

"I can't believe he's singing this song," Roxas whispered, choking out the words through his laughter.

Axel looked straight at Roxas as he took a breath to begin the chorus.

_"But I don't feel like dancin' when the old Joanna plays! My heart could take a chance, but my two feet can't find a way! You'd think that I could muster up a little soft-shoe, gentle sway, but-"_

"I Don't Feel Like Dancing," the two boys whispered in unison, managing to line up their final pronunciation of the song's name as it occurred for the second time in the chorus. The song had always been one of Sora's favorites, and the rest of them always made fun of him for it. Axel had been the only one to stick up for Sora those times, although Demyx liked pretty much all music, so he didn't get particularly involved, but Axel had vowed to find a way to make Roxas 'see the light' and 'truly appreciate' the song. Roxas had never dreamed he actually had a plan.

_"-but I don't feel like dancing, no sir, no dancing today!"_

As Axel continued the song, he managed to dislodge the microphone from its stand, his singing becoming more and more animated as he crooned to Demyx, letting the blond share his mic as he joined in the second verse.

Roxas couldn't fully stop laughing, but at the same time, he was mesmerized by Axel's stage presence. He would never have imagined the boy to be so comfortable in the bright lights, his voice never shaking as he strode confidently around the stage in his loose, crooked tie and his twinkling eye shadow.

_"So I'll just pretend that I know which way to bend, and I'm gonna tell the whole world that you're mine…"_

Riku raised his eyebrows as he watched his friends on stage. Even Demyx seemed amused by Axel's devotion to the song – the redhead now appeared to be practically performing fellatio on the microphone as he sang, having settled it back into its stand, which he seemed to be dancing with. As Demyx entered into a guitar solo, Axel resorted only to dancing, his hips swaying again as he loosened his tie a bit more, obviously enjoying himself (perhaps a little too much) as he ran his hands over his body. Riku wondered idly if he was the only person in the auditorium who hadn't melted into a puddle of Axel-worshiping goo at this point, and he glanced down at Roxas's hand. It was still gripping the armrest, though his knuckles had gone white now from holding on so hard, and Riku chanced a momentary look at the blond's face; Roxas's eyes were wide, and he looked a bit dazed. He swallowed hard, and Riku looked away again, not particularly interested in watching Roxas get worked up over the writhing redhead on the stage.

_"You can't make me dance around…"_

Axel's hands had found the hem of his shirt, and were slowly inching it up as he sang the breathy bridge.

"_But your two-step makes my chest pound, just lay me down…"_

"Oh my God," Roxas whispered. "Oh my _God_."

Riku tried to block out the high pitched, whimper-ish noises coming from the blond beside him as his eyebrows shot even higher than he'd thought possible. The girl on his other side seemed to be having trouble sitting still, and Riku could see her toes curling in her flip-flops on the floor.

Axel winked as his shirt reached the point just below his nipples, letting it go with a snap, the clingy fabric remaining crumpled a little as it returned to its original position.

_"As you blow it away, into the shimmer light…"_

He held the highest note, on 'light,' for a while, a loud cheer (mostly high-pitched girl screams) rising from the audience. He paused for a moment after the note, taking a breath and tipping his hat, and as he began to sing the chorus again, he tossed his hat, carefree, into the audience, his bright red spikes returning to their natural volume.

Finishing just as strong as he had started, if not stronger, Axel grinned, running a hand through his hair as Demyx played the last chords. The guitar slowly faded, and there was a moment of complete and utter silence as the audience attempted to register what had just happened. Demyx let out a tiny laugh, the microphone amplifying it through the auditorium, and as if that had been their cue, a thunderous applause erupted from the audience. Later, the teachers would try to explain it away as simply that it was the applause for the entire assembly, since they had been the last act, but as Roxas stood, clapping and cheering among his classmates, he, and everyone else, knew it was really just for them.

Through the cheers, he heard Axel laugh a little into the microphone, too, and both of them thanked the audience, although they were barely audible over the roar.

"Um, if I could get that hat back, that'd be really cool… So, whoever caught it, um… yea. Just stop by my locker or something. Or leave it with Mr. Strife, if you know where his office is, and I'll pick it up. It's not actually mine, so… um… Wow, thanks. You guys just, uh, you just keep clapping… Um… Heh…"

After another 20 seconds or so, Axel tried again. "Ok, well, thanks guys. If you can hear me… I need the hat back. Go to 6th period! Go! Bye! Adios! Get out of here!"

Giving up, he grabbed Demyx's hand and took a bow, leading the other boy offstage with him. Their departure seemed to break the spell, and the audience broke into loud conversation now instead of cheering.

"Well," Riku said, stretching his arms as he turned to Roxas. "That was, um… interesting. Unexpected."

Roxas nodded, and a sudden determination came over his face. Seizing Riku's arm, he pushed his way past the girls in their row, trying desperately to get out of the auditorium as fast as possible. "Come on! Come on, Riku! Help me out here, would you?"

"What? Where are you going? What the hell are you doing? The idea is to take a long time getting to class, and use the crowd as an excuse."

"I'm not going to class, I'm going to the dressing room!"

"What? Roxas, just wait for them to-"

"Are you coming or not?" Roxas turned to Riku, his determination almost scary. Riku sighed, looked around, and put on his Scary Upperclassman face.

"_Move_, would you?" he growled, pushing a shrinking freshman out of the way. "Let's go."

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"Oh my God, that was _amazing_!"

Axel and Demyx had returned to the dressing room only to be attacked by Sora and Zexion, who had been watching from one of the wings.

"Axel, you never told me you were such a good performer! You seemed so shy and reserved at the piano…"

Axel laughed, hugging Sora's head to his chest. "I told them I'd make 'em like the song. I bet you a million bucks Roxas likes it now."

Sora laughed, sighing and settling down on the couch beside Zexion. "Thanks, Axel. It was truly amazing. I don't think I'll forget this, ever."

"What are friends for, eh? I wonder if Roxas thought I looked good, though. Do you think the hat was a little much?"

"No, I think it was-"

The door of the dressing room banged back against the wall as Roxas and Riku burst in, Roxas leading the way with Riku looking a little overwhelmed behind him.

"Hey, what's u-mmmph…"

Axel was unable to finish his sentence, having had his face grabbed by Roxas and his lips now otherwise occupied. He stumbled backwards, and Zexion dragged Sora off the couch just in time as the redhead fell hard onto it where they had been sitting, Roxas climbing onto his lap and continuing his assault, his hands now clutching at Axel's shirt.

"Oh, oh God, that's-that's… euhhhh…" Sora looked thoroughly disgusted, and as Demyx whistled, he hid his face against Riku's shoulder. "Riku… make it stop… Gross, gross, my brother is having a-a conquest, right here, and-and there was no warning…"

Roxas had to pull away to breathe, but he didn't let it slow him down, working his way down Axel's neck instead, biting at him a bit in the hopes that he could make a new mark. He always felt a strange satisfaction when he left hickeys on Axel's neck. He wasn't quite sure why, but it felt rather empowering, and Axel kind of liked it too, or rather, he liked to show them off to Demyx later and gross Sora out with them, and they didn't feel half bad when they were in the making, so it was a win/win situation.

This time, however, he was a little shy about it happening right there in front of everyone, with Sora making fake vomit noises in the background, so he gently dislodged the blond from his neck, rubbing his back a little in an attempt to calm him down.

"Whoah, whoah, slow down there, buddy," he said, smiling at the flush in the other boy's cheeks and his satisfied expression. "So I guess you liked the show, huh?"

Roxas simply nodded, making a noise of assent on an exhale as he tried to catch his breath.

"Ahh… Sorry, I… got a little… carried away, just then…"

Axel laughed, moving the other boy off of his lap and standing up to change. "Hey, I'm not complaining, but I think Sora might have a heart attack or something, so… Save that energy, though…"

Pulling off his shirt, he laughed again. "God, you're-"

"Whoah, dude, what happened to your back?"

"Eh?" Axel looked up to find the others all staring at him. "What? What's wrong with my back?"

"There's like… jeez… what, did you get like, attacked by a bear or something?"

Zexion looked impressed, holding up a mirror opposite to the one on the wall so Axel could see.

Roxas had turned bright red, and as understanding dawned on Axel, he turned towards the couch, grinning. "Would'ja look at that, Rox, you left _scars_."

"Shut up!"

Sora looked deeply disturbed as he figured out what they were talking about, and once again, he hid his face against Riku, who simply laughed, leaning against the closed door as he patted the brunet on the back. Demyx was looking at Roxas with a newfound respect, and Zexion was kind of sorry he had even asked.

"This is so much more than I needed to know. Or see. Or have mental pictures of," Sora mumbled, clutching at Riku.

"Well, that's what _I_ said on Valentine's Day," Roxas retorted, desperate to defend himself, or at least transfer the embarrassment to someone else. "You know, when you guys couldn't bother to close the door before you fucked, so I had to hear it all night long?"

"All night long? Nice, you guys have a lot of stamina…"

"Shut up, Demyx! It was not nice! I swear, when I finally fell asleep… Worst. Dreams. Ever."

Sora looked bewildered for a moment, then looked at Riku, who shrugged. "I don't really remember a whole lot from Valentine's Day," he said, scratching his head. "I remember, um… Oh yea, we had whipped cream and stuff on the-"

"No! No, don't say it! I don't want to know!" Roxas cried, sorry he had even brought the night up.

"You know, speaking of whipped cream, I have a good story about that sometime…" Demyx trailed off, withering under the glare that Riku had fixed on him.

A silence fell on the room, and they all stood around awkwardly for a moment before Zexion finally spoke.

"So um… now that we've made the mistake of having _that_ conversation, can we call it a bonding moment or something and make a swift, clean subject change?"

"Absolutely." "Yea." "Definitely." "Sounds like a plan…" "Cool."

Another awkward silence dawned, however, during which Axel finished changing, and they all got ready to leave. As Riku reached for the doorknob, however, Sora grabbed his hand.

"Uh, before we go, let's just, um… Let's just forget that ever happened, alright?"

"What, that Roxas put cat scratches all over Axel's back, and you and Riku had kinky whipped cream sex all night on Valentine's Day, and Zexion _really_ likes it when I play with his hair?"

Once again, Riku's glare found Demyx, as did Roxas's, and Zexion turned a deep shade of red. Axel simply laughed, and Sora looked mildly defeated.

"God, I love us," Axel said, shaking his head as he laughed. Grasping Roxas's hand, he smiled. "Rox, you comin' home with me after school today?"

The blond nodded, and Axel looked around, almost as if to pretend the previous 10 minutes had simply vanished. "We should get to class, yea? C'mon, why're you guys all standing around?"

Grinning, he opened the door, pulling Roxas out of the room with him, and smiling as he heard the others falling back into normal conversation behind them.

"You know," Roxas said, looking over his shoulder at the four bickering boys emerging from the dressing room, "I love us, too."

"Yea?"

"Although I swear to God, if I ever have to hear them going at it again…"

"Hey, it couldn't have been _that_ bad!"

"Oh, _believe me_, it was bad…"

As they entered the crowded hallway, their voices were drowned out under those of the masses around them. Axel simply shrugged, knowing it was futile to attempt a conversation over the hallway noise, and the two walked in their own thoughts, hand in hand, until they reached class.

_You know… I love us, too. _

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**AN: **Gosh, that was long. In other news, something you may or may not find of any interest: **As my outline stands right now, there will be 29 chapters in this story**. If this seems like a random number, it kind of is, because a lot of chapters that were supposed to be one, became two. In fact, as my outline ACTUALLY stands, it has 28, because I have yet to modify it for this beast of a chapter, which has now become two... They're multiplying... everywhere... anyways, in case you'd been wondering, the magic number is 29, yes 29, and not to worry, I've got a bit of plot left to go, so it won't just be 5 random I-Don't-Want-To-End-This-Waaa type chapters. Mostly because, here is **interesting fact #2, I have another story in the works**! Jeez, it's like announcing a pregnancy or something. Either way, I'm in the outlining stages, which are gonna be much more thorough than they were on this one. (As in, I am outlining it ahead of time, as opposed to Tease, where my outline didn't even exist until I was already on chapter 4) XD So if you like Tease, make sure to keep an eye out for this next one... (Although I won't have any of it up until I've finished this one.) It's of a similar type, that is, a KH2 AU, and not a particularly dark or stormy one, either, so I really hope you guys will read it (If you're not absolutely fed up with me by then, that is! XD) (I promise it has a different plot, too:P)  
**Anyways,** **I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter! Thanks so much for reading, and please don't hesitate to leave a review and let me know what you thought!**


	25. Just Like We Always Do

Disclaimer: Kingdom Hearts does not belong to me! Neither do any of the song referenced in this chapter, which belong to Nine Inch Nails and Justin Timberlake, respectively.

**AN: **First of all, as per usual, **thank you so much for the reviews on the previous chapter!** They really made my day, despite the fact that I managed to get drastically sick (again) over the course of.. 4 days. XD Anyways, for those of you who've been waving RikuSora Action signs outside my proverbial window (night and day! They never give up!), I finally found a spot to fit it in, that is.. this chapter!  
:D **Thanks so much for reading, and I hope you enjoy the chapter!**

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Axel kept sneaking glances at him. He looked excited, and he kept looking away from the road as he drove to glance meaningfully at Roxas, who was trying to find a good radio station.

"What?"

"Hmm?"

"Why do you keep looking at me? And why are you smirking like that?" Roxas asked, giving up on the radio completely and turning it off.

Axel sighed melodramatically. "I guess you didn't notice, then."

"Notice what?"

"Well, I was _going_ to say… Notice anything _different_ about the ride home today?" the redhead asked, his grin widening.

Roxas blinked. "I thought we already decided that I didn't notice," he said, looking around the car for something he might have missed.

"You're supposed to guess!"

"Can't you just tell me?"

Axel let out another exaggerated sigh, which Roxas promptly imitated, clutching at his heart in mocked agony. When Axel simply stared at the road, he gave up, looking around the car again.

"Alright, fine. Um… You didn't wash your face after assembly, so you have sparkly stuff all over your eyes?"

"Nooo…"

"Uh… did you spray air freshener? And I just can't smell it?"

"No, Roxas, I did not spray _air freshener_."

"Um…" Roxas looked out the window for a moment as they pulled up to a red light.

_Wait… we just… pulled up at a red light? We're stopped? **The car stopped**?_

"Oh my God, you learned how to stop!" he cried, whipping around to face Axel.

Axel nodded excitedly, pointedly not starting as the light turned green in order to illustrate the fully immobile state of the car. "That's right! I've been saving since last July, and finally, _finally_ my baby's got new brake pads! Yes you do, don't you, girl?" he added, kissing the steering wheel lightly before finally starting, the cars lined up behind him honking loudly.

"Next, she needs new shocks," he continued, the car clunking loudly to the ground as he caught air off a speed bump. "And then, after the shocks, I'm gonna save for-"

Axel's speech cut off abruptly as they pulled into his parking spot at the apartment complex, his eyes widening in disbelief. Roxas looked up, following Axel's stare to a pretty woman in a short yellow dress who was seated on the ground, leaning against his front door.

"Who's that?"

Axel's excitement gone, he cursed under his breath as he grabbed his backpack from the backseat, gesturing for Roxas to stay in the car as he approached his apartment. Never one to miss any action, however, Roxas hastily snatched up his backpack as well, pretending not to have seen Axel's gestures as he followed the redhead to the door.

The woman stood up as the two boys got close, pushing her springy brown hair out of her eyes and brushing off her dress. She opened her mouth to speak, but Axel beat her to it, his voice guarded and a bit nervous.

"Cheb," he said, fiddling with his backpack's strap. "What's up?"

Clearing her throat, the woman looked slightly taken aback, and she straightened out her dress before speaking. "Actually," she said slowly, "I'm going by Selphie now. The only people who called me Cheb are, well… I'm going by Selphie now. I got a job as a secretary."

"Ok," Axel said, glancing back at Roxas before turning back to Selphie. "Selphie. What's up?"

"Well," she began, "I know you don't like it when I come around here, because I always tell your mom what a mess your place is, but I didn't really have a choice – did you know you're essentially unreachable any other way?"

Axel shrugged. "I dunno what you're talking about. And it's not messy, it's lived-in. You haven't even seen it since Christmas, I- it's pretty clean."

"Yea, _Christmas_," she said, drawing out the word. "Jolly ol' Christmas, the last time you saw your mom, right? In fact, according to her, you haven't even responded to any of her letters since then, either."

"I've been sending her letters," Axel mumbled. "I lost the mailbox key, so I haven't been able to get any of hers."

"You _lost_ your _mailbox key_?" Selphie repeated incredulously, her voice taking on a more accusatory tone now. "It's been lost since _Christmas_ and you didn't bother to get a new one?"

Axel shrugged again. "The only thing I ever get is letters from her. All the bills go to you. I figured I'd just get them when I found the key. What's the problem, anyway? I've been sending her pictures and letters and stuff, they just don't happen to have anything to do with whatever she's been sending me. You make it sound like I just cut her off or something."

Selphie rolled her eyes. "Why's your phone always off?" she continued, her voice rising and quickening in pace as she went on. "Why do I pay for you to have a cell phone if you're not going to turn it on? How am I supposed to get a hold of you if something important is happening? I've been trying to reach you for _months_, and half the time I come over here, you don't even come home! I wait here for _hours_, and you _never come home from school_! _I've been trying to reach you for months, Axel, as in, **more than one month**! _You're _avoiding_ me!"

"Oh yea, you got me, Cheb, sorry – _Selphie_, or should I say _Ms. Tilmitt_? That's absolutely it, I'm avoiding you at all costs, because _God forbid_ I have to talk to the woman who pays my bills!" Axel countered sarcastically. "My cell phone broke a while ago – Demyx dropped it, ok? Incidentally, that was on Christmas as well."

"So why didn't you _do something about it_? No one's been able to reach you, it's-it's-"

"What do you mean, no one?" Axel asked suspiciously. "Who else has been trying to reach me?"

"Who do you _think_, Axel?" Selphie asked, her voice suddenly tired. "Who haven't you heard from since Christmas? Why else would I be so desperate to get in touch with you?"

Axel was silent for a moment, his face paling. His voice was unsure when he spoke again, shaking slightly. "Mom? Is she ok? What happened to her? Is she-"

"Let's go inside," Selphie said abruptly, cutting Axel off mid-sentence. "I've been sitting out here all afternoon, and I want some water."

"What happened to her?"

"I said-"

"_Is she okay?_"

Axel banged his fist against the door beside Selphie's face, her form shrinking down a bit as he towered over her. "Don't do this shit," he said quietly, staring her in the face. "I asked you… if my mother… is okay."

Selphie hastily hid her look of terror, a disapproving expression now painted on her face. "You know, she won't be happy when I tell her you practically bashed my face in. This is really no way to treat the person responsible for keeping a roof over your head." Before Axel could respond, she continued loudly, pushing his hand off the door and straightening out her dress. "I never said anything _bad_ happened, I just said there was important news, and I needed to get a hold of you." After pausing for Axel to speak, which he didn't, she sighed.

A small smile sneaking across her face, she raised an eyebrow. "Ever heard of parole?"

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sora smiled. Riku was laughing; his arm slung around the brunet's shoulders as they sat on Sora's couch, watching a movie on TV, and when the taller boy laughed, Sora could feel his arm shake a little. As the TV station went to commercials, Sora felt Riku's hand briefly squeeze his shoulder, and he turned to see the older teen getting up.

"I'm gonna put some water on for tea," he said, planting a light kiss on Sora's cheek. "You want any?"

"Sure."

Sora scooted forward on the couch, grabbing his mug from the coffee table, a soggy teabag left in the bottom.

"I'm just putting the water on, so hold onto it for now. I'll be right back," Riku said, padding into the kitchen in Sora's slippers.

Sora sighed, setting his almost-empty mug back onto the table as he sat back, idly fingering a CD case in his sweatshirt pocket. It was Riku's sweatshirt, really, and it was a little big on Sora, but it smelled like Riku and it was warm, so he had taken to wearing it every once in a while.

_I'm wearing his sweatshirt, and he's making us some more tea. Tea that we'll drink as we watch this movie together. Watching from the couch, of course, where we'll both be sitting, and he'll put his arm around my shoulders and our knees will hit together, and maybe we'll cuddle after a little while. Then, the movie will end. We'll go upstairs and work on some homework, and eventually we'll get bored and make out, and maybe we'll have sex. The same way we always do, in the same place we always do – well, ok, sometimes we do it in his bed. But usually we're here. It'll be good – definitely nothing to complain about, and then we'll lay in bed for a little while and I'll say "I love you, Riku" and he'll say "Love you too, So" and then we'll come back downstairs and have dinner, like we always do. _

He heard the fridge opening, and Riku scooting things around until he got the pitcher of filtered water out.

_Roxas just walked right into the dressing room and **mauled** him. Axel, that is. Riku was just… standing there. He didn't maul me. He gave me a hug and a kiss. And a smile. And, ok, he sort of **kept** hugging me. But… he didn't maul me. Why didn't he maul me? Why didn't he throw me against the wall and **ravish** me, right there in the dressing room? I shouldn't be so ungrateful. I'm in love with Riku. I can't imagine my life without him, and it's not that there's anything wrong with hugging and sweet, soft kisses, but…_

"Sometimes, a guy wants to be mauled," he said aloud, nodding with conviction as he considered his situation.

"Hmm?"

Sora started as he noticed Riku coming around the front of the couch, having returned from the kitchen. He could feel his face turning red, and he stammered a little as he scooted back to his original spot on the couch.

"You ok?" Riku asked, sitting down beside the brunet and eyeing his apprehensive position. "…Sora?"

"Riku," Sora replied, fidgeting as he stared at his hands. "D'you… d'you think… I mean, are we…" Glancing between his hands and Riku's face, his voice lowered to almost a whisper. "Are we in a rut?" he asked, a mortified expression crossing his features.

Riku raised his eyebrows, looking a bit dumbfounded as Sora's nervousness became more and more visible. "What?"

"Are we boring? I mean, because-because we do the same thing all the time, and-and we, and I, and-and you're… and I love you, and it's-it's not anything bad like that, but I-I mean, we… we're sort of, um, I mean, I was reading this-this magazine, and it had all these, um, these-these _positions_, but it was a women's magazine and-and so some of the positions wouldn't work for us, because I don't, um, I mean, I have-I have _man parts_, that-that none of the positions took into account, but-but I mean, I thought that maybe, um… maybe we could, um… try some of them, or-or something..."

For a moment, both of them were silent; Riku looking a little overwhelmed, and Sora turning redder by the second, his expression growing more and more desperate. The movie they'd been watching had started up again – it was an old black and white one, and a woman with blonde hair was begging her man not to enlist in the army.

"I… I don't think I understand," Riku said slowly. "We have sex all the time."

"But-but we always do it the same _way_-"

"Is it not good for you or something? I mean, are you not fully… getting off? Or something? I don't-I mean…"

"No, no, Riku, it's not like _that_, it's-it's good, but that's just _it_- it's _good_, it's not mind-blowing, or life changing, or-or adventurous, or _dirty_."

"So… you're saying we have boring sex?" Riku asked, watching Sora's trembling hands.

Sora mumbled a reply, picking at his fingernails.

Riku was quiet for a moment again, the blonde woman in the TV telling her boyfriend how she would just "miss the tarnation out of him" if he was gone.

"What about the whipped cream? That was… adventurous."

"Neither of us can really remember that night very well, we were both completely drunk," Sora said, giving Riku a look of dissatisfaction.

"What about the first time, when you were wearing that dress? I can remember that. I hope you can remember it, too."

"Of course I can remember it, but-but that was a long time ago. And we never do stuff like that anymore. And-and can't we just _try_ some of them?" Sora asked, his voice slipping into desperation.

"Some of what?"

"The _positions_!"

Riku sighed. "Sora, those magazines are full of shit. Their idea of exciting sex is twisting your body in directions it's not naturally meant to bend and somehow managing to penetrate something in the process. Honestly? Look at me, Sora. Honestly, what is this about?"

Sora mumbled inaudibly for a moment, refusing to meet Riku's eyes until the other boy had moved to sit fully on the coffee table across from him, their knees bumping together and his gaze unavoidable.

"I was talking to Axel the other day," Sora said, his voice sounding a bit defeated and sulky. "And-and I couldn't help but notice this-this giant _monstrosity_ on his neck, which he eventually mentioned was from Roxas, and-and I mean, we got to talking, and um… and… I mean, _they _have a-a healthy variety of-of things that they, um, that they do… he started telling me about all these – all these different, um, different _places _and um, and _ways _that you can… you can… and-and just _stuff, _and-and the hickey, he didn't just have one on his neck, he-he was reaching up to grab something off a shelf and his shirt went up a little, and-and he had one on his _hip_, Riku, and at first all I could think was how gross it is that _Roxas_ does stuff like that, and I couldn't even begin to think about it, but-but then I started thinking about how we never… we never, and I mean, and-and sometimes I just want to be _fucked_ like that! Like a-like a _wild animal_, and-and so…" he trailed off, his face still bright red as he looked away from Riku.

"And so what?" Riku asked, trying desperately to keep the image of Axel and Roxas having kinky sex in "different places" out of his mind.

"Well, he… he gave me this CD. And a-a piece of paper. I haven't read it yet. Or listened to the CD. But he said, um… he said it would help spice things up." Sora slowly withdrew the CD case from his pocket, opening it up to reveal a folded sheet of notebook paper on top of a CD that Axel had burnt for him.

Riku took the case apprehensively from Sora's hands, examining the CD, on which Axel had scrawled a message in red Sharpie amidst a number of badly drawn hearts:

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Place me in CD player

2. Get naked

3. Touch each other :)

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Parole?" Axel repeated hoarsely, his eyes widening as Selphie plucked his keys from his hand to unlock the door. "As in… getting out early?"

"Precisely," Selphie replied, inviting Axel into his own apartment as she dropped the keys onto the kitchen counter. "Jeez, you weren't kidding. You really have cleaned this place up…"

"How long have you been trying to tell me? How long have you known? When is she-?"

"Next Friday," she said shortly, looking through the cabinets for a cup. "And you, my dear, are going to pick her up."

Roxas gently closed the door behind him as he came in, trying not to make too much noise and interrupt the conversation. Axel steadied himself by leaning against the counter, and he finally remembered Roxas was there as the blond accidentally dropped his backpack harder than he'd meant to. Looking up, Axel vaguely gestured between his two guests.

"Selphie, this is Roxas. Roxas, Selphie."

"So you're the boyfriend? I was wondering why you were standing around," Selphie said, winking at him. "I've heard all about you."

"Really?"

Selphie grinned at Axel, who shot her an icy glare. "Well _apparently_, you're all Axel ever writes about in his letters."

"That's not- she's lying, I write about other stuff too," Axel muttered, blushing under their dual stares.

"You told your mom about me?" Roxas asked, feeling significantly more important than he had mere seconds before.

"Of course he did, sweetie, he's in _love_ with you. You know, I recognized you from the picture before he even introduced you."

"Picture?" Roxas repeated dumbly, looking to Axel for a solution to his confusion.

"Next _Friday_?" was all Axel could supply, and he in turn looked to Selphie for confirmation. "I-I have school. How am I supposed to-?"

"No we don't," Roxas said, finally glad to at least be useful. "It's a Teacher Institute Day. And, while unrelated, Prom weekend."

"Cheb, you're not just messing with me, are you?"

Selphie shook her head, her face becoming serious. "I'm dead serious. That's why I was freaking out trying to get a hold of you, Ax… She's coming back. I helped her get a job lined up at the same place I'm working at now, and once she had a secure job in place, that plus good behavior was enough for them to approve her… Ax, she's coming home."

For a minute or two, the three stood in silence, and Selphie drained her water, placing the empty glass in the sink. Coming around the counter, she gently pulled Axel into her arms, eventually pulling away enough to look him in the face; his bewildered, unsure appearance not unlike that of when he'd found out his mom would be gone in the first place.

"I know I didn't do the best job, Ax, but I tried. I'm not really a mother-type. I did ok though, right? You're alive, you're in this apartment, you're not _that_ malnourished…"

Axel snorted, letting his arms fall from her shoulders. "Thanks. Really, for… everything. These past couple of years would have been, well… they were hell anyway. But they would have sucked even more if I'd been homeless, so… Thanks."

"Don't mention it," Selphie said, striding to the door. "But either way, you know now. So… next Friday. Be there no later than 8 AM. Oh, and bring your ID and stuff."

Axel nodded, still trying to wrap his head around the entire concept of his mother coming home again.

"And if you don't mind one last piece of advice… If I were you, I'd bring _him_ too," she added from the doorway, nodding in Roxas's direction. "If I'd been talking to you like this a year ago, you would have been raging and bitching and throwing a fit by now. If you know what I mean…"

"Goodbye, Selphie."

Laughing, she turned away. "Bye, Axel. Have her call me when she's settled in, ok?"

"Yea."

The door banged shut behind her, and Roxas stood awkwardly by the table in the silence that ensued, watching Axel coming to terms with what had just happened.

"You okay?" he asked quietly, gently slipping his fingers through the other boy's, which were surprisingly only lukewarm. Axel's hand lay limp in his for a moment, the redhead staring past Roxas in thought before squeezing his hand a little, almost as if to make sure it was real. Sighing, he let go and walked away, slumping down on the couch and rubbing his eyes.

"Ah… yea, I'm okay," he said slowly, letting his head fall back against the couch cushion. "It'll just be weird to have her home again. It's been almost three years since she left."

Roxas fidgeted with one of the belt loops on his jeans. There were times with Axel where he really had no idea what to do, or say, to help the situation. _What do you say to your boyfriend when his mom is suddenly coming home from prison? Shouldn't he be happy? Is he? _

Axel's eyes were closed, and the faint smile on his face was contradicted by a furrowed brow, his hands idly running through his hair. Roxas slipped his jacket off, leaving it on the kitchen counter before approaching the other boy and sitting close beside him on the couch. Axel had pulled his hand away earlier, which the blond took as a cue to give him a little space. With Axel, a little space meant not actually touching, but close enough that the redhead could change his mind and easily brush his leg against Roxas's, or take his hand, or just flat out wrap his arms around him, which was more often than not what he ended up doing.

"Is it a good thing or a bad thing?" Roxas asked tentatively, nudging Axels' toe gently with his own.

Axel's foot didn't respond, although he did open his eyes. "It's not _bad_," he said finally; and as he thought more about it, his hand found Roxas's again. "It's… It's just so sudden. I just don't want it to be the way it was before. Or, not so much that, because there was good stuff, there was always good stuff, but I don't want her to do the shitty stuff she used to do. I don't want to hear her coming in at 5:00 in the morning after… after working."

"Well… Selphie said she had a job secured, right? And she said she's a secretary."

Axel nodded. "Yea. I can't see my mom as a secretary, but whatever. She's just not like that, you know?"

Hesitant to pry, Roxas could remember the last time he'd asked Axel to tell him about his mom. "What _is_ she like?" he asked cautiously, glancing up to catch the other boy's reaction.

Axel laughed a little, his smile spreading. "She's… She's hard to describe," he said slowly, absentmindedly playing with Roxas's fingers in his hand. "There aren't really any good words to use, because they're all just a little off the mark, but she's… she's a really good cook. She's kind of tall, for a woman, that is, and she's got brown hair kinda like Sora's. The color, not the, um, not the shape…" He paused, staring at a rip in the knee of his jeans.

"We used to sing in the car," he continued, his smile widening even more. "She, um, she'd be taking me and Demyx to school in the morning, and she'd turn on the music really loud and make us sing with her, so we know like, every song Jimi Hendrix ever recorded by heart, from years of… years of Mom singing in the car with us… Really though, she makes the best food – she taught me and Demyx how to make cakes and brownies and stuff, and green beans, really good green beans. Omelets. She taught us omelets, too, even though the ones she made were always like, these picture perfect restaurant quality omelets, and me and Demyx would make these kind of crappy little egg… things… They tasted okay, so she'd get all excited, and then we'd have to celebrate a successful cooking endeavor with ice cream sundaes, so we got good at putting those together, too. She… oh man, did I ever tell you how I learned to drive?"

Roxas shook his head, scooting over a little as Axel turned to face him completely; the older boy sitting cross-legged and sideways on the old, bouncy couch, his speech illustrated with wild hand motions as the memories came flooding back.

"She-she took me out to the interstate at midnight one night, and she taught me how to drive _fast_. I mean, she'd taught me to drive around in circles in parking lots before, so I could get the hang of the gears and the clutch and stuff, but-but it was my first time on a real _road_, and she made me go 85 until we got to the coast. Yea, we drove all the way to the coast, and you know how it's supposed to take 2 hours to get there? We got there in one. Yea, I know, one hour! I'm not kidding, I swear. I remember I was freaking out, she kept telling me to go faster, and the engine was making this awful noise because, I mean, let's be honest, Nadia is not meant to go over 65 at her age, and-and she wouldn't let me switch to 5th because she said I wouldn't be able to accelerate, so the engine's going crazy, and I'm freaking out, and _finally_ she lets me shift up, and I look down at the dash, and I'm going 85 miles per fucking hour, in that car. I am not even kidding, _that car_ went 85. Anyway, I was terrified, but she just, she just opened up the window and stuck her hand out, and told me I had to try it, too, because, she said that- she said the wind felt soft in between your fingers, so I did, and she was right. It does, it's _soft_, and we finally get to the coast at like, one in the morning, and we pulled off and walked up to the ocean, and she takes off her shoes and rolls her pants up and turns around, and you know I'm not really a water person, right?"

Roxas nodded, trying to keep from laughing as Axel excitedly pushed his hair back behind his ear, the same piece of hair that kept falling in his face. It fell down again as he continued speaking, and he kept pushing it back, over and over, seemingly unaware of the pattern.

"But she made me go up to the edge with her, and we stood there in the ocean with the waves coming up over our feet until the sand had washed over them too, and then I had to help her dig her feet out of the sand when we wanted to go because she-she has smaller feet than me, and I got out first. It was so fucking cold, I thought my feet were gonna go blue and fall off or something, and on the drive back, I started to get the feeling back in them, and they went all prickly, you know, like when they fall asleep and then they start coming back?"

"Yea, like pins and needles, or whatever," Roxas said, gesturing for Axel to continue. The redhead pushed his hair back again.

"Yea… We took the old highway on the way back, and we stopped at this sketchy-ass little hut on the side of the road around like, 2 in the morning, because my mom knew the guy that lived there, and we sat around and smoked and ate turkey sandwiches. Yea, I know, I dunno why I remember the turkey sandwiches. I was what, 14? 15? I dunno, it was too early for me to learn to drive, but Mom thought it was the right time, so we just went for it. I remember the guy was totally impressed that I could smoke a cigarette without hacking up a lung, and my mom just gave me this look, like tonight, I could drive, and I was gonna be an adult with them, but the next day, she grounded me for smoking. It was cool, though. It was really cool. My mom, she's… I mean…"

"She sounds like the kind of mom people like me always kinda wish we had," Roxas said, smiling. "Then again, I feel bad for saying that. I love my mom. But you know what I mean…"

Axel just nodded, a small laugh escaping his throat. "Yea, your mom is cool too. I was talking to her about pizza the other day, and I swear, she's the only person I've ever met who shares my love of pineapple pizza…"

He trailed off, gazing at Roxas intently.

_I was talking to your mom about pizza the other day, when I was at your house. You're sitting on my couch, and I'm telling you about my mom, and you're listening. You're actually interested. I know where the dish towels go in your kitchen, and you know what drawer I keep my socks in. If I get hungry at your house, I don't ask, I just open up the fridge and eat something. Sometimes I come home from the grocery store and you and Demyx are sitting on my couch, eating my chips and watching TV. I didn't even know your name 8 months ago. I want you to come with me to pick up my mom. I want you to sleep here tonight, and wear my clothes to school tomorrow. I want to win this staring contest. You will look away. You **will** laugh. You will blink! Now, dammit, my eyes are getting all dry!_

Roxas grinned victoriously as Axel finally blinked, laughing to himself as the redhead finally noticed the piece of hair in his eyes. Axel sighed, this time happily, and he stretched his arms out toward Roxas, requesting the other boy's presence on his side of the couch. Happy to oblige, Roxas clambered over, and Axel let his arms settle around the blond, taking comfort in the familiar weight of Roxas's body against his.

"I like you, kid," he murmured, ignoring the glare that Roxas gave him at being called 'kid.'

"I thought you stopped doing that," Roxas said sourly, leaning his head against Axel's shoulder.

"Never!"

"Bastard."

Axel laughed, twirling a piece of Roxas's hair around his finger. "Call me what you will, I like you anyway."

"Yea? Well, I _love _you," Roxas countered, picking lint off of Axel's shirt.

"Pshh, yea, I love you too, but that's different. I'm saying I _like_ you. I really, honestly, like you. And I want you to come with me. Next Friday, I want you to come with me."

"Of course I'll go with you. Isn't that sort of a given?"

"How is that a given?" Axel asked, toying with the other boy's ear.

"'Cause I like you back."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Riku felt a sinking feeling as he unfolded the sheet of notebook paper, which revealed itself to be Axel's handwritten list of "Different Locations in Which Sora and Riku Must Do the Nasty," with a little box next to each entry just waiting to be checked off. It wasn't so much the idea that bothered him, but more that Axel had taken the time to make such a list, and that Sora had talked to him about it, and that now that he'd seen it, Sora would tell Axel they talked, and every time he'd see Axel, the redhead would probably give him some knowing look and wiggle his eyebrows around and demand information on his sex life.

"On top of a car?" he read slowly, looking up at Sora. "Are you serious?"

"He said, um… he said that he only suggested things he knew from experience to be… I think the term he used was 'really ass-fuckin incredible,'" Sora said, fidgeting.

"From experience? As in, he's done all of these?"

Sora nodded. "He said this is the beginner's list. He told me to get back to him once we've finished it, and he'll give me an intermediate list."

"Intermediate?" Riku repeated weakly.

"He says there are escalators involved," Sora said excitedly, leaning over further so he could read the list upside-down from where he sat. "And I really wanna know _how_. I mean, it's like with stairs, but… they're moving. What if you get caught in it? What happens when you get to the top? Definitely not for beginners, he said."

"You must be fucking kidding me. Standing up in an _alley_? I'm not doing this shit."

Slamming the paper down on the coffee table, he looked up at Sora, who simply looked dejected. His lips were drawn into a pout, which Riku always found cute, and when he tried to reason with the boy, Sora just sulked at him. He watched Sora's lips, his eyes, his hands, those slim fingers toying with the drawstring on his sweatshirt hood, and he looked back at the list. 'Bent Over the Bathroom Counter' stood out cheerily, with a little illustration beside it, the sub's hair suspiciously Roxas-like despite the fact that he was a stick figure.

_I refuse to be one-upped by **Axel**, of all people._

Making up his mind, he shoved the list into his pocket and grabbed the CD before seizing Sora's arm and dragging him up the stairs.

"Number one looks pretty simple," he muttered, dropping the CD into Sora's CD player as the brunet closed the door to his room.

"Ohmygod, really? You're gonna-"

_No, I'm not 'gonna' do anything. I **am** doing it. You want me to be dirty? I'll be fucking dirty. _

He stumbled backwards, pulling Sora with him as he slipped his tongue between the other boy's lips, haphazardly pressing the 'play' button on Sora's CD player before finding himself backed up to the wall. Grinding himself hard against the brunet, he slipped his hands beneath the sweatshirt, _his_ sweatshirt, and the thin t-shirt Sora was wearing underneath it.

Sora held up his arms, allowing Riku to remove both articles of clothing, and he staggered backwards a bit as the taller boy attacked his chest and stomach with his tongue. The music lent a distinctive beat to the situation that he thought sounded vaguely familiar, and as he scrabbled at Riku's t-shirt, he wondered what the first idea on the list had been.

Finally catching the hint, Riku pulled his shirt off, pushing Sora onto the bed as he unfastened his belt. Leaving his pants on the floor as he climbed on top of the brunet, he continued his previous activity, giving himself the goal of licking every inch of Sora's upper body. He briefly entertained the idea of giving Sora a matching hickey on his hip to show off to Axel, but decided he'd rather not think about Axel right then, opting instead to unzip Sora's jeans, pushing them and the brunet's boxers down around his ankles. A man had started to sing in the first track of the CD, and Riku wasn't entirely sure why Axel thought this song would be good until-

_"I wanna fuck you like an animal…"_

Taking one of Sora's nipples into his mouth, he reached further down, exciting the other boy until he seemed as hard as Riku felt.

_"I wanna feel you from the inside…"_

Sora was tugging at the waistband of Riku's boxers, and as the taller boy let go of him, he pulled them completely off.

"You ready?" Riku growled, his voice muffled against Sora's neck.

"Um… aren't you going to…?"

Holding up the list, Riku pointed to the first entry. "Number 1. 69."

"Sixty-nine…?"

_"I wanna fuck you like an animal…"_

"Look at the number," Riku said, his breathing heavy as he licked at Sora's chest, determined to keep the brunet excited while he tried to figure out what was going on. When Sora just looked perplexed, he sighed. "Sora, imagine the 6 and the 9 are people."

_"My whole existence is flawed…"_

A look of understanding dawned on Sora's face, and Riku pinned his arms up above his head, listening intently to the small gasps emanating from the other boy's throat as he plunged his tongue into his open mouth.

_"You get me closer to God."_

"I wanna do it," Sora said, his voice certain, though strained.

Riku nodded, sitting up enough to switch his direction and positioning himself above Sora's mouth. Stretching out a bit, he found he was just tall enough, if not a little bit _too_ tall, to reach Sora's own arousal, and he braced himself on his elbows before confidently taking the head into his mouth. If Sora's moans were any indication, Riku seemed to be doing well, despite the fact that he couldn't make use of his hands. Sora could see the other boy's body trembling as he held himself up, and he wondered briefly if this was going to turn out to be a really bad plan before reaching up to touch him, his tongue running over Riku's hot skin. He felt Riku's head jerk a little at the first contact, and suddenly, Riku was doing something Sora had never seen or heard him do before – he was _moaning_, and moaning loudly, choking out an attempt at Sora's name, and the resulting vibrations drove Sora crazy, combined with the hot, wet, cavern of the boy's mouth in general. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Riku's arms shaking under his weight, and he hastily made the plan to turn his head quickly if Riku collapsed, so as not to be choked.

_I can just imagine the headlines… 18-Year-Old Chokes on Boyfriend's Penis, Is Incapable of Speech for Rest of Life. 18-Year-Old's Teeth Completely Knocked Out by Super-Hard Riku Cock. 18-Year-Old Drowns in the Sheer Amount of Pre-cum Emitted from Boyfriend's 'Hot Italian Sausage…'_

Riku took a deep breath before pushing his mouth further, as far as it would go, taking Sora almost entirely inside, and with a plaintive whimper, the brunet was coming, the thick, hot liquid coating the back of Riku's throat. Said plaintive whimper was not only a sexy noise, but more good vibrations, and Riku's arms finally gave out as he came, his entire body exhausted and limp. He felt Sora rolling him off and to the side, where he lay on his back for a minute, the brunet still pumping him through the last aftershocks.

The two finally lay still, both quietly panting and sweating, and Sora heard the short silence between tracks on the CD player before the second song started.

Riku snorted, shaking his head. "I can't believe he put Sexy Back after a Nine Inch Nails song…"

He could see Sora if he looked down, the brunet smiling at him from the other end of the bed.

"That was good, right? Adventurous enough for you? Or should I tie you up with my belt, because you know, #2 on the list was to do it blindfolded. I don't think Axel fully understands the meaning of the word 'location.'"

Sora giggled a little, pulling on Riku's toes. "Come up here, I wanna kiss you."

"I'll taste like your cum," Riku warned, easing himself into a sitting position before stretching out the same way Sora was and giving him a light kiss.

"It wasn't so bad, was it? Something different, you know? I thought it was fun…" Sora trailed off, desperately looking for approval in Riku's eyes.

"Yea, I guess we could do that again sometime. Switch things up a little. Although I wanna finish the list first, before we repeat anything."

Sora looked positively ecstatic, kissing Riku again before cuddling up against the taller boy's chest.

"We can keep this part the same," he murmured, tracing the soft curves of Riku's lean muscles with his finger. "I like this part, always."

Riku made a small affirmative noise, his eyes half-closed as he nuzzled Sora's hair. "Love you," he said softly, reaching across the other boy's back to turn off the CD.

"I love you too, Riku. Bigger than the sky."

"Yea?" Riku said, smiling. "Well, I can beat that one. That's easy."

"Oh, it's _on._ I'd like to see you try."

Riku thought for a moment, his eyes falling shut, then popping open as he had an idea. "Alright. I love you… taller than the tallest mountain?"

"Oh, I'm sorry, since when has the tallest mountain been _bigger than the sky_?" Sora asked, poking Riku in the forehead.

"Uhh, longer than all the highways in the world, if you lined them all up in one big freeway to the moon."

"Yellower than a dandelion."

"That's lame, yellower isn't even a word," Riku retorted. "Um… let's see... warmer than a nice, warm bed when there's snow outside."

"Stronger than a bulletproof vest! Being worn by Chuck Norris!"

"Deeper than the deep blue sea."

"Better than peppermint tea."

"Longer than that awful documentary we watched in History."

"Hotter than a big old desert!"

"Wetter than… water?"

"Ha!" Sora exclaimed, poking him again. "You lose. That one sucked. I love you more, the end, no takebacks."

"Yea, whatever helps you sleep at night. I was letting you win, anyway," Riku said, stretching his arms before letting them drop around Sora again.

"Don't let me win! That's not fair! That means I really lost," Sora cried, smacking him on the arm.

"Cool your jets. We'll call it draw, ok?"

"Yea," Sora said, snuggling closer to Riku with a smile on his face. "Yea, we'll call it a draw. Just like we always do."

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**AN: **So, I hope you guys liked the chapter! I told you there was more plot! And you finally got your RikuSora, so no more harping! XD In other news, I got a few people asking some of the same questions, so I figure I'll answer them here all at once.  
1. Yes, you can draw fanart! The answer will always be yes! I will at no point change my mind on this, my decision is final! XD  
2. The other story I have in the works is not a sequel to this one. It's its own entity, although still a KH2 AU. Speaking of which, I'm trying to decide whether to post the first chapter of that one at the same time as the ending of this one, or whether to wait a week. If you have any input, feel free to share. I guess it doesn't really matter, but now it's kinda bothering me and I can't really decide.  
**Anyways, I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter! Thanks so much for reading, and please don't hesitate to leave a review and let me know what you thought!**


	26. The Poor Pizza Never Had A Chance

**Disclaimer:** Kingdom Hearts does not belong to me!

**AN**: Wow guys, as always, **thanks so much for the reviews on the previous chapter! **I really appreciate each and every one! I try to reply to all of the logged-in ones, so if I missed yours, I'm really sorry (it was not on purpose)! Hmm, I am currently drinking "Gettin' Cool" Melon Soda, and let me tell you, it is delicious. Kinda like Cloud and Leon, who are majorly featured in this chapter! **Thanks so much for reading, and I hope you enjoy the chapter!**

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Cloud loved the feeling of his breath ragged in his throat, the way he could really _feel_ the air filling his lungs. He found comfort in the sound of his shoes smacking the concrete, the ache in his legs and the swish of his shorts, the warmth he felt from inside and the bite of the cool air on his skin – the clarity in his mind that he always got when he ran hard. He had his cell phone with him; he felt a little nerdy to have it strapped onto his arm like that, but he figured maybe from far away it looked like an iPod or something, and it was less bizarre than strapping it to his leg, femme-spy style, or having it clunking around in his pocket and hitting him in the balls when he tried to run, like that one time... That had been a short run.

This run, however, would be anything but short. He had taken the bus to the school that morning, which was only about 4 ½ miles away from his apartment. He didn't have to bring anything – it was a Teacher Institute Day, and the gym teachers tended to get off easy. They had a meeting, in which they discussed the usual issues: how to get students more involved in participating in sports, how to get students to pay attention during the required Health units, how to get students to stop pretending to have sex with the CPR dummies (Cloud had sighed at the mention of the dummies – he could remember Leon pretending to get a blowjob from one and making everyone in their class laugh.). All in all, they got out by around 10:30 (in the morning, of course), and he had planned ahead so he could jog home, making sure to take the long way across the golf course behind his apartment complex.

He checked his watch as he entered the golf course, fairly surprised to see "10:56" blinking up at him. Then again, he wasn't running as hard as he often did; if he'd been really _trying_, he'd already be home by then. Getting home in a timely fashion wasn't on his mind today, though - Leon would be there for the whole weekend once he showed up, and Cloud was positive that the snarky brunet would flat-out refuse to work out with him. His main objective was to get in a good, long run before Leon arrived, in the hope that it might work to balance out the weekend of complete laziness ahead of him.

Of course, in preparation for Leon's arrival, he had made a complete plan. Having instructed Leon to give him a call when he was about 20 minutes away (hence the cell phone strapped to his arm), he would have time to jump into the shower, lather up with copious amounts of the Axe shower gel he liked to think made him smell sexy, wash his hair with the "Sweet Pea" shampoo that Leon liked so much (the contrasting scents played off of each other nicely, he thought), wrap that thin, periwinkle blue towel around his hips (with enough time to adjust it to his liking, which would take him at least 4 tries… yes, he'd done this before…) and make his hair sufficiently "wet n' sexy" before casually, _nonchalantly_ answering the door, preferably with droplets of water still clinging tremulously to his shoulders and chest. If there was time, he might do a few quick crunches on the ground in the kitchen, so his abs would be extra-toned when Leon first saw him. Not that they'd be toned when they were lounging half-naked on the couch, potato chip crumbs littering the room between the empty beer cans and video game controllers, which was how he'd probably look for 90 of the weekend – but that didn't matter. It was all about, well… It was all about impressing the hell out of Leon, and making him glad he'd held out for those months to be with Cloud.

_Not that I have to. It's just kinda fun._

Plus, he'd need to take a shower anyway. He had specifically worn his gym shorts (maroon) and an old, graying t-shirt to the meeting so he could get this run in, and the shirt was drenched in sweat now. In general, he was drenched in sweat. He could feel a drop sliding down his neck, and he brushed it off with the back of his hand, wiping it on his shirt as he neared the fence between the golf course and the apartment complex.

Grabbing the top of the fence, he tried to imagine what Leon's reaction would be to the pleasant-smelling, wet, sexy blond who'd answer the door. He could picture Leon's grin, and he could practically hear the brunet's voice as he vaulted over onto the apartment side of the fence.

In fact… He looked up as he neared his door, his vision blocked partially by the haze of sweat that seemed to have formed around him, and partially by a large piece of his hair that had dampened with said sweat and was drooping in front of his eyes.

"Jesus, did you run all the way back here from the high school?"

Slowly ascending the concrete stairs, Cloud blinked at the figure standing in front of his door. He was tall, and had lovely brown hair, and a smug grin, and a belt that Cloud thought looked familiar… very familiar…

"You look like hell, man. I thought you'd be here primping all morning, but, I mean, wow. Not that you need to primp, you're sexy anyway, but, well… Hey, nice arm strap. Kinda like those sexy woman spies, right? I got it, that's cool."

"You were supposed to call," Cloud panted, leaning back on the railing as he tried to catch his breath. "You… were supposed to call 20 minutes early… So I could… take a shower…"

"He speaks!" Leon exclaimed, dropping the duffel bag he was holding to the ground to spread his arms in amazement.

"You were supposed to call!" Cloud repeated, thoroughly disappointed that he hadn't been able to put his plan into action.

"Eh, I know, but I forgot, and then I was practically here, so I figured I'd just surprise you. I didn't know you'd be all… sweaty." Leon grinned, pulling the blond closer to him. Before he could really hug him, though, he grimaced, stepping back. "On second thought, you should take that shower. You smell like a locker room."

Cloud could feel a drop of sweat trickling slowly down his back. Laughing, he gave Leon a playful glare. "Yea, you should have called. That's what you get, you have to hug a nasty, sweaty man. C'mon, no, _no_, you can't weasel out of it now! You deserve it, bastard! Then you have to shower with me, too."

Leon cried out in protest as Cloud wrapped his arms around his neck, quieting a little as the blond caught his lips in a needy kiss.

"Mm… you contaminated me, bitch," Leon murmured, letting his hands settle on Cloud's hips in an attempt to avoid putting them directly in any given pool of sweat. "You taste like salt, and you got me all covered in your sweat."

Their dialogue interrupted by frequent kisses, they stumbled together to the front door, where Cloud tried vaguely to get the key into the lock as Leon pressed him against the door.

"Yea, I know… I… nnh… I did it on purpose so… mmm… so you'd shower with me…"

"God, I missed this."

Leon leaned back to take a breath, letting Cloud get the door open and grabbing his bag from the ground.

Cloud yanked his shirt off as he wandered into the kitchen, wiping the sweat off of his neck and forehead with it before putting it down to unfasten his cell phone from his arm. Leon let out a long, happy sigh as he went directly to the bedroom, letting his bag drop with a thud to the floor before popping back out.

"It's good to be back here," he said, stretching. "Good to be kissed, too. I missed that. I always forget how nice it is."

Cloud snorted. "And here I thought you were pining for my lips day and night."

Heading into the bathroom, he turned around. "You coming, or…?"

Leon shook his head. "I took a shower before I got in the car this morning, and all I've done is sit on my ass for 7 hours driving. Plus, you looked so dejected; I didn't give you your preening time."

"I resent that," Cloud said, smiling and shaking his head as he closed the door behind him. From the other room, he heard Leon call out:

"This gives me time to poke around in your stuff, anyway, see if you're hiding any secret lovers under the bed, find your porn stash, which you failed to hide effectively the last time I was here…"

"That was a _novel_!" Cloud yelled back, opening the door again. "You just opened it up to _one scene_-"

"It was called 'Hard-On,' and the pages were suspiciously crusty," Leon retorted, raising his eyebrows as he walked by on his way back to the bedroom. "And if it was just an innocent novel, which it wasn't, why was it stuffed under your bed within arm's reach but kind of behind the leg of your bed frame? You know, so no one would run into it, but you could reach it whenever you want?"

"Shut up," Cloud muttered, leaving the bathroom door open as he turned the shower on. "As if you don't have any…"

"Never said I didn't have any," Leon said jovially, poking his head back around the doorway in time to see Cloud stripping off his shorts. "I just said you do."

Cloud gave him a dark look, shooing him away. "If you're not gonna shower, then don't come in here and distract me."

Always a good listener, Leon took it as a cue to enter the bathroom instead, giving the blond a cheeky grin before pulling him close again. Sliding a finger under the waistband of Cloud's boxers, he leaned down a bit to leave soft kisses along the blond's neck, biting a little at his ear. "But I _wanna_ distract you… it's _fun_."

Pale fingers slipped beneath Leon's shirt, touching and rubbing and _feeling_ him, and he smiled to himself as he tugged Cloud's boxers off, letting them drop to the blond's ankles only to be promptly pushed away.

"Thanks, you know, I'm so exhausted from that run, I just couldn't undress myself," Cloud said sarcastically, grinning mischievously as he stepped into the shower; simply laughing at Leon's indignant noises of protest. "Nothing's stopping you from coming in here," he added, squeezing a glob on shampoo into his hand. "It's up to you. Crusty novels or a hot, wet man all slicked up with soap in the shower?"

"I don't want to get wet!" Leon protested, yanking the shower curtain back enough to see Cloud's face and successfully mock-pout at him. "Do you know how long it takes my hair to dry? It's ridiculous now that it's grown out a little."

"So get a haircut," Cloud said, shrugging as he rubbed the shampoo into his hair.

"Eh, I kinda like it long."

"Dirty hippie," Cloud noted, sticking out his tongue. Leon was starting to crack, he could tell. The brunet kept sneaking glances downward, and the bathroom was beginning to get steamy from the hot water. Having worked the shampoo into a sort of foamy lather, Cloud prepared for phase 2 of his hastily formulated plan to get Leon into the shower. Putting on his best o-face, he sunk his fingers into his hair, moaning Herbal Essence Commercial style as he let the water run over him.

"Nnnh… ohh… Leon… _Leon_!"

"Stop! No!"

"_Ahhh… yes, oh God, yes_…"

Leon tried in vain to block out the noise, clamping his hands down on his ears, but as Cloud let out another roar of pleasure, however fake it may have been, he finally caved, stumbling into the shower fully clothed and pressing Cloud to the wall with a rough kiss.

"Coercive bitch," he murmured, leaning his head back a little as the blond attacked his neck and shoulders.

"Mm, yea, it's true," Cloud replied, finally stepping back. "Absolutely. Oh dear, I really ought to get you out of those wet clothes before you catch cold…"

Smirking, Leon backed away. "You know, that's ok. It's a nice offer, but I think I can handle it."

Stepping out of the shower, his smirk grew even larger. "I've been wanting to check out that 'novel' you've got anyway, so take your time in here. Really. Enjoy your shower, now."

A half-empty bottle of face wash narrowly missed Leon's head as he ducked out of the bathroom, his socks squelching as he made his way into Cloud's bedroom to change.

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Roxas groggily opened one eye as he heard Axel's radio turn on. He always seemed to wake up seconds _before_ his alarm would go off, and today was no exception, despite the fact that it was 5:00 in the morning. Rolling over, he found Axel still asleep, the redhead sprawled out on his stomach, one arm cushioning his head, the other hooked around Ichigo.

Axel groaned as Roxas tried to shake him awake, snuggling his face into his pillow and squeezing his eyes shut.

"5 more minutes…"

"C'mon, you gotta get up. If you're that tired, then I can drive, and you can sleep in the car, ok?"

Axel snorted, finally opening his eyes. "You can't even drive stick. We'd get there, like, next week."

"So get up, then! It's not my fault you wouldn't go to sleep at some godly hour," Roxas replied, hopping out of bed and turning on the lamp on the nightstand. Axel let out a cry of agony as the bright light hit his eyes, hiding his face in his pillow again.

"I couldn't sleep."

Roxas knew it was true – if it had been up to Axel, he would have fallen asleep as soon as they had gotten into bed the night before, around 11:00. Unfortunately, his nerves had kept him awake until almost 3 in the morning, when his exhaustion finally overtook his anxiety. Roxas had tried to stay awake to be helpful, but he'd drifted off around 1:30, leaving Axel to toss and turn on his own for another hour and a half.

"Alright, I'll tell you what," Roxas said, pulling one of Axel's shirts on. "I'll heat up some of the pizza from last night, and you can sleep an extra 10 minutes. After that, though, we really have to go, otherwise we'll get stuck in rush hour traffic in the city."

Axel mumbled vaguely in response, pulling the covers back over himself and curling up with Ichigo.

Roxas tried to take as long as possible putting the pizza in the microwave, situating the slices on a clean plate to take in the car before setting it to 30 seconds and leaning against the fridge to wait. Inevitably, though, the pizza finished, and he set about finding Axel's wallet and ID and picking out some clothes for him before attempting to wake the redhead again.

"You said 10 minutes," Axel whined, shrinking away from Roxas's hands. "It's been like, 20 seconds…"

"Ax, I picked out clothes for you and everything. C'mon. We can stop at McDonald's and get a Coke or something to wake you up."

Having picked up Sora's tricks from years of being on the receiving end, Roxas gritted his teeth and yanked the blankets away from Axel's shoulders, the older boy yelping in response as the cool air infiltrated what had been his oven-like cocoon. His threadbare flannel pajama pants did little to hold in what heat he had left, and he clung to his tiger for warmth, glaring up at Roxas. "I don't wanna go…"

"You want me to pick up your mom by myself? 'Cause, you know, that'd be pretty awkward. Plus, I've only had my license since like, mid-February, so I can't really legally drive with anyone else in the car yet. I think it might be a bad idea to illegally drive your mom home from jail, yea?"

"What if she doesn't like me anymore?" Axel asked, his voice small behind his tiger.

Roxas blinked. "What?"

"What if she doesn't like me anymore?" Axel repeated, sitting up straight and giving Roxas a mournful look. "What if… I mean… I haven't gotten her letters for months, what if-what if she thinks the ones I've been sending her are _dumb_?"

"…Are you kidding? Axel, she's your _mom_, of course she likes you," Roxas replied exasperatedly. "Are you_ trying_ to find reasons to be nervous? C'mon, get out of bed."

"Some people's moms don't like them," Axel replied, leaning back against the wall. He gave Roxas a disapproving look as the blond grabbed his arm and dragged him off the bed, shoving a pair of jeans and a t-shirt into his hands.

"You're not one of those people," Roxas said shortly, grabbing Axel's keys from his nightstand. "I'm gonna take the pizza and your wallet out to the car. When I get back in here, you better be dressed."

"What if I'm sleeping?"

Roxas narrowed his eyes. "You won't be," he said, giving the redhead a meaningful look before stalking out of the room.

It was light out, but foggy, and Roxas turned on the engine to let the car start to warm up before striding back inside, fully prepared to physically drag Axel out of the apartment. Fortunately, Axel had managed to get himself dressed, and he was zipping up his sweatshirt when Roxas got inside.

"Keys?" he asked, holding out a hand.

"I already started the car," Roxas replied, turning back around to open the door. "You ready?"

"Do I have a choice?" Axel asked, looking downright miserable.

"Not really."

Sighing, Axel followed Roxas out the door, making sure it had locked behind them before settling into the car.

The drive out was uneventful, and, all things considered, pretty boring. They listened to the radio, which wasn't particularly good but not altogether bad, and every once in a while Axel would turn it off to shoot worried questions at Roxas.

"What if she just starts doing… stuff again? Once she gets back, you know? What am I supposed to do?"

"Do you think she'll recognize you just from the pictures she has? I wonder if she still has the pictures…"

"What if she's, like, emotionally scarred for life from her prison experience? I mean, what if she's totally different and-and….I mean…"

"I hope she'll be happy with the apartment and stuff, I mean, I cleaned last night, and- oh God, Rox, I forgot to clean _her_ room! I haven't-I haven't been in there since she left, and-and what if it's- what if there's like, a 3 year old bowl of rotting cereal or something? You have to remind me to run in there really quick _right_ when we get back, ok? So if there's rotting cereal, I can at least hide it before she goes in."

Roxas sighed. "While we're at it, what if she doesn't like _me_?"

Axel snorted. "Don't be dumb. Of course she'll like you."

"Oh, so it's a given that she'll like me, who she's never met, but you, _her son_, are worried that she's not gonna like you?" Roxas asked, raising his eyebrows.

"I didn't really think she wouldn't like me," Axel retorted, taking a bite of his pizza as he turned off at the exit for the prison.

Roxas rolled his eyes. It had been a long 3 hours, and all of Axel's worrying had started to get to him, too. He was kind of nervous to meet Axel's mom anyway, and it didn't help that Axel himself was freaking out just for the hell of it.

As they pulled into a parking space, Axel sighed. "Stay with me, ok?" he asked quietly. "I know I'm completely tweaking out like an idiot, but I'm just… just stay with me."

Roxas nodded, unbuckling his seatbelt and leaning across the car to kiss Axel's cheek. Taking one of the redhead's hands, he sat back again. "It's gonna be fine," he said, his irritation deteriorating as the older boy held tightly to his hand. Axel took a deep breath before fumbling in his pocket for a cigarette, lighting it with his palm like he always did. He opened up his door to let the smoke out, and the two sat in silence for a few minutes as he smoked, both watching the car's clock. The moment it turned to 8:00, Axel stepped out of the car and put out his cigarette, nodding at Roxas.

"Guess it's time, then."

As they stepped into the building, Roxas surveyed his surroundings. Axel continued to a front desk, and Roxas headed for the restroom, hoping to check himself once more in the mirror before meeting Axel's mom.

"Wha-where are you going?"

"The bathroom, I'll be right back – no, stay here. It's fine, I swear, I'll be back in like, 2 minutes, tops. I promise."

The bathroom was absolutely disgusting, and Roxas was glad he had worn his own jeans again that day; Axel's were always too long, and he wouldn't have wanted them dragging on that floor. He pawed desperately at his hair, trying to get it to look a bit less disheveled, and he straightened out his shirt, unsure of how he'd forgotten to look nice before leaving Axel's apartment.

_Well, it was 5:00 in the morning…_

After splashing cold water on his face, he dried himself off, took one last look, and headed back into the waiting area. Halfway around the corner, he stopped in his tracks. A tall woman with a chestnut ponytail was standing with Axel, wearing his sweatshirt and a pair of dirty low-rise jeans. One arm was slung around Axel's shoulders, the other hand balancing a medium-sized cardboard box on her hip that seemed to be full of papers. She was talking to the man behind the desk, and Axel was simply standing with her, smiling and leaning against her. He didn't seem to mind standing in the air-conditioned room in just his t-shirt, and he seemed pleased that his mom was wearing his sweatshirt. It was too big on her, and she had pushed the sleeves up to her elbows in order to keep them from flopping around. Axel finally noticed Roxas standing there, slipping out from under his mother's arm to drag the blond over.

"Mom, mom, this is Roxas!"

"One second, babe," she said, holding up a hand as she finished her conversation with the man behind the desk. "Thanks so much. You have a good day, too."

Turning away from the desk, she smiled at Roxas, holding out her free hand to shake.

"So this is the famous Roxas, huh?" she asked, pulling Roxas into a hug when he took her hand. Stepping back again, she looked him up and down. "You're even cuter in person," she said, hitching the box up on her hip. "Axel sent me some pictures, and, oh God, I've heard more about you than I have about him!"

Roxas laughed a little, even more when he spotted Axel turning red. "So I've heard," he said. "It's good to finally meet you, Ms… um…"

"Steph," she said, nudging Axel teasingly with her foot when she, too, noticed him blushing. "I'm on a first name basis with pretty much everyone I know."

Roxas nodded. "Cool. Um… do you want me to carry your box for you?"

"Well, if you're offering…"

"Yea, of course," Roxas agreed, nodding vigorously. He hoped this would score him some brownie points, although Steph was not particularly daunting now that he'd actually met her. In fact, she kind of reminded him of an older, darker-haired version of Rikku that was less bubbly and more Axel-ish. The box was surprisingly heavy, and as they walked out to the car, he realized that there were books beneath the papers, and that the papers were, in fact, Axel's letters.

"Um, I can drive if you want, since… it's been a while since you have," Axel offered, twirling the keys around his finger. "I've been up since 5, though, so I might suck."

"Pshh, it hasn't been that long," Steph replied, daintily plucking the keys away. "Plus, it's like riding a bike – once you learn, you know. It doesn't go away."

She leaned against the driver's side door, blocking Axel's way in as he tried to secure the driver's position. "Nope, nope, go around, babe. My decision is final! I'm a free woman now, I can drive my own car if I want to!"

As Roxas managed to maneuver the box into the backseat, Steph pulled Axel into a hug, the redhead smiling at Roxas as he hugged his mom back, then looking away, a little embarrassed. Roxas felt a little awkward as well, as if he was intruding on some special family moment, and he hastily made his way around the other side of the car to sit in the back beside the box. Even with the doors closed, he could still hear their muffled conversation from outside.

"I missed you so much, babe."

"Yea, I missed you too, Mom."

"Ax, this is gonna be good, ok? Things are gonna be different. You know that, right? I promise, things are gonna be different."

Roxas watched as Axel allowed his mom to fix his hair, his hands sunken into the pockets of his jeans.

"Mom, just…"

Axel sighed, finally batting his mom's hands away from his hair.

"Just don't lie to me, ok? Don't lie to me again. It took me way too long to get over it the first time, and I don't think I could handle it again. I was a tough kid before, and Rox and the others have spoiled me this past school year. I-I'm different. It's-it's like now that I'm finally happy, it hurts more when I'm sad."

They were quiet for a moment, and Roxas watched Axel's face soften.

"Mom, don't cry…"

Roxas looked down at his knees, trying to avoid that awkward, embarrassed feeling he always got when he witnessed other people's drastically emotional moments that didn't involve him.

"I promise, I promise it won't be like that, ok? I love you. I love you, babe, so much…"

"I love you too, Mom."

Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Axel's pale arms wrapping around his mom again, and the redhead closed his eyes this time.

Eventually they pulled apart, and Roxas wondered idly if they had forgotten that they were actually trying to leave. He could hear Axel laughing now.

"Mom, seriously, stop crying, this is weird."

Steph laughed too, wiping her eyes with the floppy sweatshirt sleeves.

"You sure you want to drive?" Axel asked, reaching for the keys.

"Get in the car, Ax. _Passenger's side._"

Roxas's plan to be invisible was immediately derailed as the others got into the car, Axel having turned around to flash him a smile before getting settled and Steph proclaiming a loud "Roxas!" as she started the engine.

"Er… yea?"

"Roxas, Roxas, Roxas. So you're Sora's brother? Is that right?"

"Yea, he's a year older than me."

"Mmhmm, mmhmm… Ok, so let me try to get this all figured out for a sec… You and Ax are juniors. And Sora's a senior… And then, let's see, Riku was it? Riku's a senior too. And… who else?"

"Demyx," Axel said, slipping his shoes off and putting his feet up.

"Demyx is a senior. Oh God, Demyx is a senior! How did _that_ happen?" Steph cried, taking her hands fully off the wheel to wave them at Axel. "I gotta see Demyx sometime soon, ok? I can't even imagine him older than what, 13? 14? God, he's like your brother, anyway, he practically lived with us. I can't even believe it, you guys are getting so old. Ax, you're the same age I was when I had you."

"Jeez, yea. That's bizarre…"

"Now just imagine giving birth at your age. 9 months of pregnancy for one skinny little baby. Although you were nice, you didn't cry too much. Or, well, you'd start crying, but then I'd come pick you up and you'd quiet down pretty fast. Half the time you weren't even hungry or anything, you just wanted to be held. All the girls at work thought you were adorable."

"Yea, I'm sure they did," Axel grumbled, leaning against the window. "And if it's all ok, I'd rather not imagine giving birth, at any age…"

"Oh, hush. You know what I mean. Anyways, who am I missing? I know I'm missing someone. Roxas! Who am I missing?"

Roxas perked up at the mention of his name, having drifted off trying to imagine Axel as a baby. "Umm… Zexion, he's a senior. I dunno if Axel wrote about him, though."

"Yea, yea, Zexion. Little Emo," she said, her voice distracted as she merged onto the highway. "He's Demyx's boyfriend, right?"

"Yea."

"Huh…"

After successfully getting into the middle lane, where they'd stay for the entire drive back, Steph looked over at Axel. "So did you guys meet because you're all gay, or were you already friends and then coincidentally all realized you were gay?"

"Um…" "Er…" "We…"

"Well, I knew Sora and Riku from Elementary School, and they were always kind of…. exclusive friends. Although Sora had a lot of other friends, too, and then Riku sort of became popular in Middle School. We were more acquaintances, though. I guess I got closer to them because of Rox, who I met, um… in the locker room at school," Axel replied. "Where he claimed not to be gay, even though he obviously wanted me-"

"I never said I wasn't gay!"

"Yea, you totally did, you were all 'Ummm, ummm, I'm not into boys, Axel!' And then you ran away crying!"

"Ok, first of all, I wouldn't have said that, and even if I did, I definitely wouldn't say it in such a weird, high-pitched voice. If you're gonna imitate me, at least do it in a sufficiently manly tone."

"Yea, ok, manly my ass. Either way, I befriended him, against his will, and ended up becoming friends with Sora and Riku from hanging around their house all the time… and then of course, I was already friends with Demyx, who had known he liked guys since like, 7th grade, although he was into girls for a while too. He had a bunch of cute, innocent girlfriends in Middle School, but by High School he'd settled more on guys. And then, I guess Zexion is bi, so… yea, he's in Demyx's math class, and once they got together, he sort of joined the group."

"Well, you had a couple girlfriends too, right? I remember them, when you were like, 14 or so, I can't remember their names though," Steph said, nodding in Axel's direction. "You would bring home these really sweet girls from school and hold hands and watch movies on the couch, it was the cutest thing ever. Well, aside from you and Demyx – you two were absolutely adorable. You know, I'd leave at night and you'd be sleeping alone, and I'd come in to wake you up in the morning and you and Demyx would be all curled up together in your pajamas like little kittens."

"Mom…"

"What? It was cute!"

"Mom, stop! You're being embarrassing!"

Roxas laughed, and he zoned out again as the two in the front began to talk about people he didn't know, catching up on lost time. He had kicked his shoes off too, and had propped his feet up against the back of Axel's seat, trying to get comfy. Partially out of boredom and partially out of curiosity, he reached into the cardboard box, pulling out a letter at random.

_March 5.  
Hey mom. What's up? Ok, that's pointless, because I still haven't found the mailbox key, and chances are, nothing particularly epic is happening to you. No offense, but I mean, it's true. Not that I don't want to know how you're doing. Please, let me know. When I finally find that goddamn key, I'll be really interested, I swear.  
So I have some exciting news! Today, March 5, is the official 5th day that Roxas and I have been back together, oh yes, BACK TOGETHER. In case you didnt catch that, I'll be less subtle:  
**I AM BACK TOGETHER WITH ROXAS! **And he totally still loves me, which I totally already guessed because really who doesn't love me? Hahahaha I'm just kidding but seriously. Ok. So it would take me too long to write all the spec. details about what happened but long story short he **thought** that I was cheating on him (WHICH I WASN'T) and so he blew a gasket and ran off and dumped me but I WASNT EVEN CHEATING ON HIM and so then THEN we were teamed up together for the fundraiser thing so I was like 'Roxas.' and he was actually a total pain in the ass but I finally made him talk to me and we got it all figured out and then he hugged me, oh yes a hug, like I was telling you in that other letter that way that he hugs me? He hugged me like that in his roxas way and I thought i was gonna cry i was so fuckin happy. Of course I didnt actually cry or anything because I think he was bawling enough for the both of us (well ok I'm exaggerating he only cried a little and it was cute) but yea. it was really cool. Really. REALLY. Oh man, I've been resisting the urge to just like completely cling to him for the past 5 days cause I missed him so bad. I can't even explain it, he just makes me laugh like no other, he just makes these like… its hard to explain just like observations. These… wry observations. And then on the other hand he does these little things that are completely 'awwwwwww' worthy, like when you see a big muscle man carrying his pet Chihuahua across the street and it's just like 'awww!' except that Roxas has neither muscles nor a chihuahua but THAT IS NOT THE POINT here! The point is that he does cute shit too and that's another good thing about him.  
Anyways, before I get too carried away here I can't forget the other news, which is that Demyx (!) has found himself a man as well. I know, usually when he finds himself a guy to go out with, it's like… a bad thing, because they're always mean to him BUT this one is different. His name is Little Emo (ok, his name is actually Zexion, but I'll get to this in a second), and while I tried hard to maintain my opinion that he's weird, now that I've actually talked to him and played cards with him and hung out with him a couple times, I will grudgingly admit that yea, he's pretty cool, and I'm glad he's with Demyx, and I like him. He's a good guy. He's funny, and he's smart but he's not one of those pretentious assholes that tries to make Demyx act stupid so he can reinstate his smartness, he like… talks to Demyx about science and stuff. Sometimes. I mean, they talk about other stuff too. They're a good nerdy couple (I mean, they met in math class…) except for the fact that neither of them is actually nerdy, they're just smart. Anyways, I call him Little Emo because, well, he's little, and he dresses like… he wears a lot of black clothing, (he wears girl pants…) and like 3 belts at a time with spikes on them and makeup, how could I forget the makeup? He wears eye makeup. Usually not too much though. PLUS, his hair… Ok. Either way. Overall yea, I'll admit he's pretty cute, and I guess Demyx likes a guy who's all put together like that. Personally, I admire Roxas's permanently disheveled look, which I'm sure he puts more work into than I realize. I guess I'm lucky… my clothes are generally pretty boring, so I just throw on a sweatshirt and jeans and slip my flip flops on on the way out the door. My hair doesn't get messy, really, or if it does, if I just like… brush it with my fingers really quick and it kinda sticks out the way it naturally does and, well, that's it. Plus, my strikingly sexy features and immature charm add to the overall swoon-worthiness of, well, me. Oh boy, ego boost! Although, I guess if I'm stroking my own ego, it kind of negates itself. Incidentally, 'stroking my own ego' kind of sounds like masturbation, which is somewhere that I, for one, am not going to go in this letter. I gotta go anyway, I'm gonna take Rox out to this all-you-can-eat sushi place for 5 bucks (you've taught me well, I'm bringing empty containers for the fridge in my backpack, and fully intend to bring home like, 50 California rolls). Either way, I gotta pick him up in 10 minutes, and it takes 15 to get to his house, so I better go. Hope you're doing well, and that you could derive some amusement or happiness from this letter.  
I love you.  
Ax :)_

_PS: Did I mention **I'M BACK TOGETHER WITH ROXAS?** Ahahahaaa, I'm so happy. Ok. Leaving. Love you. Bye._

Roxas couldn't help but smile as he read. Axel's handwriting grew messier in sections of more excitement, and he had drawn a little illustration of 3 dancing California rolls at the bottom of the page, with a cheery label that said: "Even the sushi is celebrating! They missed Rox, because while he was gone, I had to eat sushi all alone… Dance on, sushi, dance on!"

He laughed a little, re-reading parts of the letter over and over and trying to imagine Axel propped up on his bed with a pen in his hand, drawing little pictures of dancing sushi. It hadn't even been from that long ago…

_There's a special way that I hug? I didn't even notice… He seems so excited here, and he writes just like he talks. It's like a transcript of a one-sided conversation or something. _

"What the hell? No! Oh my God, give me that!"

Before Roxas could fight back, Axel had yanked the letter from his unsuspecting fingers, turning bright red as he folded it up to put in his pocket.

"Are you _reading_ my letters?" he asked indignantly, turning completely around in his chair to lean into the backseat.

"I only read one," Roxas said, grinning at Axel's embarrassed expression. "It was really sweet…"

"Shut up," Axel mumbled, pulling the box forward into his lap. "I'll hold the damn box. You can't just _read_ other people's _mail_! God, I'd been wondering why you were so quiet back there…"

Steph just laughed from the driver's seat, partially at the argument and partially at how protectively Axel was now clinging to the cardboard box.

"Just out of curiosity, how _do _I hug?" Roxas asked, trying to hold back his laughter. "I wasn't aware that I had a specific hugging style."

"Shut up!"

"Well, apparently you hug really tight," Steph interjected, smiling over her shoulder at Roxas. "But not too tight. And I think the phrase that Ax used was that you 'get your head into it, too.'"

"My head?" Roxas repeated, raising his eyebrows. "I get my head into it? What does that even mean?"

"Shut up…"

"I think it's kind of like how some people hug with just their arms, really, but _apparently_, you really _hug_. More of a standing snuggle sort of thing," Steph explained, ignoring Axel, who was curling up into a ball and staring pointedly out the window.

"Standing snuggle… huh… That's cool, I guess. I mean, it's a good thing, right?" Roxas asked, reaching up with one foot to teasingly tug on a piece of Axel's hair with his toes.

"Of course it's a good thing!" Steph exclaimed, grinning at Axel's miserable wet-cat glare. "Aww, c'mon, Ax, has no one been teasing you in my absence?"

"You're _humiliating _me," he muttered, ignoring Roxas's attempts to comfort him via foot-to-hair connection.

"Babe, this is _not_ humiliation. If I wanted to humiliate you, I'd tell him about-"

"Stop! Stop now!"

"What? What were you gonna tell me?" Roxas asked excitedly, letting his feet fall to the floor as he leaned forward eagerly.

Steph simply laughed, shaking her head as Axel slumped angrily in his seat. "We only tease you 'cause we love you, hun. Right, Roxas? It's a show of affection."

"Absolutely," Roxas agreed, poking at Axel's hair once more, this time with his fingers. When Axel (predictably) reached back to hit his hand away, he was ready, and he grabbed the redhead's hand instead, pulling it close enough to leave a light kiss on his knuckles before letting go. "Plus, you make fun of me all the time."

"That's different," Axel mumbled, although he looked only Extremely Displeased as opposed to his previous Miserable/Infuriated.

Sighing happily, Steph reached for the radio, and they rode the rest of the way home with the music on, Steph and Roxas singing along loudly… and by the time they reached the apartment, Axel had started to sing too.

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Leon had decided to make a frozen pizza for dinner. He'd managed to preheat the oven and put in the pizza, and now he had seated himself comfortably on the floor in front of the oven to watch. Cloud had gone out around 5:15 to pick up a couple of movies, and it was almost 6 now. Leon was feeling impatient. Between Cloud and the pizza, he really just wanted something to put in his mouth; the toothpick he'd been chewing on for the past half hour was getting soggy, and it tasted bad anyway.

_So the saying really is true… a watched pizza takes for fucking ever to bake._

He perked up a little as he heard footsteps coming up the stairs outside, and he held his breath in anticipation, hoping it wasn't just the neighbors again. Sure enough, he could hear Cloud fumbling with the lock for a moment before the door swung upon, the blond kicking it shut behind him and dropping a bag of movies on the couch.

"Leon?" he called out uncertainly, scanning the room.

"I'm in here," Leon replied, waving his arm above counter level.

Slipping off his shoes, Cloud came around into the kitchen, raising his eyebrows as he saw Leon's stakeout. "What are you doing?"

"Watching the pizza."

Leon prodded the oven door with his foot, trying to motivate the pizza to bake faster.

"Wow. That sounds, uh… thrilling," Cloud said, trying not to laugh.

Leon wrapped an arm around Cloud's legs, buckling the blond's knees so he toppled to the ground beside him. Settling down, Cloud leaned back against the counter, his leg propped up against Leon's.

"You see that bubble on the left side?" Leon asked, pointing at the pizza. "That bubble's been there for at least 10 minutes. I've been trying to pop it with my mind."

Cloud nodded. "Cool. Is it working?"

"No, not so much…"

Cloud let his head rest on Leon's shoulder, looking sideways at him with a smile. "You wanna do something more interesting?"

"Such as?"

Cloud grinned, swinging one leg over both of Leon's to straddle the brunet. Plucking the disintegrating toothpick from the other's mouth, he leaned in to leave a gentle kiss on Leon's lips.

"Ti voglio," he murmured, looking distinctly pleased with himself for remembering how to say something in another language.

"Huh?"

"It means 'I want you' in Italian. Or at least, Sora said it does."

Leon looked vaguely confused for a moment. "Um, ok. I'm not even gonna ask why my brother would be telling you how to say 'I want you' in Italian, but uh… whatever. Ok. Cool."

"So I could impress you with my skills, of course. He said you were taking an Italian class," Cloud said, idly tugging at the neckline of Leon's shirt.

"Um… I dunno where he got Italian from, I'm taking Danish," Leon replied, scratching his head. "Either way, it was a valiant effort."

"Either way," Cloud repeated, slipping his hands beneath Leon's shirt, "I _want_ you."

"You _want_ me, do you?"

"I do."

"You do, do you?"

"Stop that, it's annoying."

"You want me to stop, do you?"

Cloud silenced Leon with another kiss, this time harder than the last, and Leon found he didn't particularly feel like talking after that; his mouth was otherwise occupied.

The poor pizza didn't stand a chance… by the time they finally remembered it, it was completely burnt.

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**AN**: Eh heh, I kinda like Cloud and Leon, like, a lot. I hope you guys do too! The LeonxCloud enthusiasts have been almost as excitable as the RikuSora ones, and have officially held a parade in my proverbial neighborhood (with big signs). They threw proverbial candy at my proverbial shrinking form, and I not-so-proverbially caved and gave Leon and Cloud some time in the proverbial spotlight. Ha ha ha, I have had a lot of sugar in the past 15 minutes!  
**I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter, thanks so much for reading, and please leave a review to let me know what you thought! **


	27. Chicken Feet Make Prodigies, Dammit!

**Disclaimer**: Kingdom Hearts does not belong to me! Neither do the lyrics towards the end of this chapter, which belong to Peter Salett.

**AN (Complete with important phrases bolded!):** Oh good gosh (har har), this is two days late! I'm so sorry! Gahh, ok, so I have an excuse. Actually, two. One, it's Hannukah. Things have been hectic. And two (this is where I get to admit my nerdiness), I have been mildly distracted (read: completely addicted) by... Air Gear. XD XD XD I started watching it... and then I couldn't stop. So I finished the anime, and now I'm sad because they shrink-wrap the manga so I can't read it at the bookstore (Waaaa). (Side note: Ahh! Ahh! Akito/Agito is the cutest thing I have ever seen! **zomgakito**.) Either way, **I apologize for being late with this one!**  
Anyways, **thank you so much for the reviews on the last chapter! **I really appreciate every single one, even if the holiday season has made it very hard to reply to **all** of them, I am trying! If I missed yours, I'm sorry, and you will probably get a reply sometime in the next couple of days (with more intense apologies for replying after the next chapter is already up! Oh no! How unprofessional! Then again, this entire story is unprofessional by nature. XD)  
Moving on! This chapter is kinda cool because it gets **dedicated to Karesu Gaara Mikosu, as a big thank you for the lovely gift-y oneshot! **Rahh, you guys should all go read it, cuz it's good. XD  
While you're at it, **check out What Should Never Hurt You by Vermillion Lies**, which makes me want to **shoot big, pink hearts out my ears** every time I get an alert about an update on it! (That's a good thing! XD XD)  
Yeesh, long AN, huh? **Without any further ado... I hope you guys like Chapter 27, and thank you so much for reading:)**

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Demyx sniffed in his sleep, wrapping an arm around his pillow and snuggling against it. So warm… such nice, warm sunshine blanketing his face, such a wonderful orangey glow visible still through his gently closed eyelids, visible still in his dreams as he slept.

_---_

_Zexion smiles in the orange glow. He looks up sleepily from Demyx's pillow, his hair messy from sleep and his skin taking on a beautiful, ethereal sort of radiance. _

_"We don't have to get up yet," he says quietly, a strand of silver hair falling in front of his eyes, those deep sapphire eyes. They look almost turquoise in the light. _

_Demyx feels strange, as though he's watching himself there with Zexion from outside of his own body, and yet, he can feel Zexion's fingers weaving through his own as the other boy takes his hand. He laughs a little, and he can feel the blush rising in his cheeks for a moment before the soft, sweet, wet of Zexion's mouth is on his, and it's a strange feeling but-but so amazing… 'Incredible,' he thinks, as he holds that angel – because that's all the boy could be, he's so beautiful, so perfect, and all the colors around Demyx are oversaturated and washed-out at the same time in that extraordinary light, and he can hardly even believe it… how deeply he feels the warmth; both the sunshine and the other's body are comforting him, cradling him, blanketing him in every kind of good, every good feeling he can imagine. _

_"Why's everything so hazy?" he asks lamely, eyes wide in fascination as he lets himself rest on his back. _

_"Because of the watermelon," Zexion replies, sitting up a little. The blankets slip off of him a bit more, revealing more of his bare upper body, his pale skin like silk to Demyx's touch. _

_"Oh," Demyx says, as if Zexion has actually answered his question; and in a way, he has. Demyx is sure he knows what the other boy is talking about. The watermelon, of course, why hadn't he thought of that? It was the obvious answer, of course. That's why everything was so hazy. The watermelon. Yes. _

_Zexion lies back again, allowing Demyx to curl up against him, the blond's head resting on his chest. _

_"Don't worry about it, though," he says, those dainty, delicate fingers running through Demyx's hair. "Don't worry about the watermelon right now. We don't have to get up yet, remember? We can stay like this as long as we want, although we have to remember to make the nachos before graduation, ok? If we wait until after, it won't matter, because we won't be in high school anymore."_

_"It's only a few weeks away," Demyx mumbles, snuggling close against the other boy. "Zexion, we're graduating in three weeks."_

_Graduating in three weeks._

_Graduating in three weeks._

_Graduating in three weeks._

_"Yea, high school will be over in three short weeks," Zexion responds, eyes falling closed as he sighs, still smiling. "We just can't forget the nachos. It's the most important thing, isn't it? When you really get down to it, I mean, am I gonna remember the equations I learned in math class, or am I gonna remember that I used to turn around and pretend to be looking at the clock on the back wall when I was really watching you? That's what high school is about, right? See? Nachos. So we can't forget, or else… or else, well, what was the point?"_

_"Yea, nachos."_

_Nachos._

_Watermelon._

_Graduating in three weeks._

_---_

Demyx could feel himself slipping out of the dream. He tried to fight back his consciousness but failed, his eyes slowly cracking open in the soft sunlight.

_It **is** kinda warm, huh?_

Pushing his blankets off, he stretched his arms above his head, pausing to let his joints crack into place before climbing out of bed. He'd been having these dreams lately – vivid dreams that seemed absolutely real, and he always remembered them for at least a little while after waking up. They usually involved Zexion, and he was always a little disappointed when he woke up to find himself alone in bed, although the dreams were so nice on their own that he couldn't help but spend the morning with a spring in his step. He did, however, have the urge to give the silver-haired boy a big hug, and he wondered idly if it'd be weird to hang out with him earlier in the day if he was going to see him later that night for Prom.

_Oh God, Prom is tonight! _

He actually stopped in his tracks for a moment on his way out of his bedroom as he remembered, blinking a few times before shaking his head in disbelief and continuing into the kitchen in his boxers.

"Oh, Demyx – you finally woke up, huh? Axel called a little while ago, around 10, but I didn't want to wake you up. You're always up so late doing homework, I figured you could use a Saturday to sleep in."

Allowing his mother to give him a soft kiss on the forehead, Demyx nodded blearily, grabbing a banana before sitting down at the table.

"Yea, he and Rox were gonna go pick up his mom yesterday, did he mention how that went?"

Julia nodded, giving Demyx a smile over her shoulder as she continued to slice salami on the counter. "Yea, she's back and everything. I'm gonna go over there tonight while you're at the dance with Zexion, but Axel said to tell you to go over as soon as you're awake enough – Steph's been asking about you, apparently."

Demyx nodded, chewing his bite of banana. "It's been a while. Why don't you just come over with me?"

"Oh, I can't go now, I picked up an extra shift at work, so I'm gonna need to be there for the afternoon. Plus, Steph and Selphie and I are gonna have a sort of reunion tonight, you know, drink wine out of a box and roast marshmallows over the stove and catch up with each other. It's kind of funny, Selphie's actually planned to come an hour later than I'm going to so we have time to talk about kids before she gets there."

"Kids? As in, me and Ax?" Demyx asked, separating the last of the banana from the peel.

Julia laughed, dropping the knife in the sink as she finished her slicing. "Who else? Of course we talk about you guys. Plus, I got to talk to her last night on the phone, and she suspects that Ax isn't telling her everything about what he's been up to while she's been away. She was appalled to hear that he drove over here drunk that one time, and that wasn't even that long ago."

Demyx snorted.

"What? It's a big deal, Demyx, he could have _died_."

"Yea, but what do you guys expect, you want him to write his mom a letter about it? Dear mom, I endangered my life by driving drunk, and had to be dragged out of the rain into Demyx's, where I curled up and shivered all night and clung so tightly to Dem that I inadvertently cut off the circulation to one of his arms. But don't worry about me or anything. Love, your baby boy."

"Don't even joke about it," Julia replied, shaking her head as she put together her salami sandwich. "Speaking of drunk driving, though, if you have a drop, a _drop_ of alcohol tonight at Prom, I want you to call a cab when you're leaving. I'll give you some cash before you go, and I'm not going to ask for it back, ok? I won't be here when you get home, so it's not like I'll see a cab pull up and know 'Oh, Demyx has been drinking' and get mad or something. I just want you and Zexion to be safe."

"Mom, I don't drink."

Julia held up her hands, shrugging. "Prom punch is notorious for being spiked. Dem, just do this for me, ok? I'm not gonna ask you about it later, I'm never gonna know if you did or not, but just… take care of yourself. And Zexion. He's a sweet boy, and if anything happened to either of you…"

"Yea, yea, if anything happened to us you'd be sad, I know."

Demyx stood up, stretching again and leaving a light kiss on his mother's cheek before heading back into his room to get dressed. "I'm gonna get dressed and head over to Axel's, so I'll see you tonight, ok? I guess Zexion and Sora decided to get ready together, so me and Riku both have to head over to Sora's around, like… 5:30."

"Say hi to Steph for me! And Axel, of course."

"Yea, yea…"

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Axel looked up as he took another bite of his omelet, vaguely aware that his mom was staring at him.

"What?"

Steph shook her head, returning to her own food across the table with a smile. "You just look so old. I'm not used to it. Even since Christmas, you've grown."

"Yea, you look old too. I half expect you to whip out a cane and reading glasses at any given moment," Axel replied, grinning and adding a "Kidding, kidding!" as he avoided the piece of omelet she'd flung across the table at him.

Again they lapsed into a contented silence, and Axel took the time to think as he ate. Roxas had stayed through dinner the day before, but after he'd left, they'd sat down on Steph's bed and talked, _really_ talked. They talked for hours, in circles and squares and octagons around everything they meant to say until they finally found the right words, accompanied by tears and hugs and awkward silences; fierce, honest looks between them, broken sighs, and stuttered speech, searching for the right way to put feelings into words. Steph was… sorry, so sorry. She was worried, concerned, upset about the things Axel had done in her absence; his failed classes and increased smoking, the reports of his late, drunk arrival to class on many occasions, and the designs and profanities scorched into walls and desks at school – he was always the first suspect, and he always admitted to doing it. She was a little late with her concern; Axel's second semester grades were in the B's and C's, with an A in Musical Expression and an A- in P.E. He had been on time and on task almost every day for the past few months, and he'd been cutting back on his smoking.

Axel had taken longer to figure out how to say what he wanted to. He'd let Steph finish first, then thought for a while. He'd eventually managed to get it all out – everything; how he didn't want her to deal anymore, he didn't want her to sell herself; he didn't want her to do anything, _anything_ like that. How he didn't think he could really handle it anymore if she did, how he'd give up the apartment, give up extra stuff he didn't need if he had to, that they could make do on whatever money she could make another way, any other way that was right. He could stay with Demyx and Roxas and it would be okay, _they'd _be okay. She'd got a job at the hospital as a receptionist with Selphie's help, and she was starting on Monday.

They'd talked on and on, and Axel was sure it had been at least 2:30 in the morning before they fell asleep, happy and laughing and both utterly relieved to have been able to express everything they'd wanted to for so long. By the time they'd gotten around to sleep, they'd exhausted the sad things, the apologies, the requests, and gone on to nostalgic recollections of all the good times they'd had, and discussions of good times to come.

They talked about Roxas, and Axel was sure he'd never blushed more in his life than when his mom had started interrogating him about their sex life – first on whether or not they _had_ a sex life; then (after Axel grudgingly mumbled some vaguely affirmative response) on how it was perfectly healthy and okay but he _had to be careful_ and to make sure to ask how many partners Roxas had had before (Axel couldn't help but laugh at that point) and had they gone to a doctor to get tested? (Yes, they went together a few weeks after getting back together, and yes, they were both clean…) And were they using protection? ("But we're both clean!" he'd cried in protest as Steph declared that she'd have to take him condom shopping sometime over the weekend.) Much to Axel's relief, Steph had eventually run out of awkward sex questions and moved into territory that, while he still found himself blushing profusely, he was much more comfortable with.

"You really love him, don't you?" she'd asked quietly. Had she known that by asking such a question, she would prompt 45 minutes of Axel raving about how wonderful the blond was, she may not have asked, but at the same time, she found it adorable, and Axel seemed to be enjoying himself immensely as he recounted the details of everything he loved about the boy.

Axel took another bite of his omelet and looked up again. He opened his mouth to start up conversation but never got the chance; a loud knock at the door interrupted him. Steph rose from her seat to answer the door, and she barely had it open before she'd sprung into action, pulling the blond who'd knocked into a tight embrace with a loud cry of "Demyx!"

Demyx waved to Axel as best he could, kicking the door shut behind him before hugging Steph back.

"My second son!" she crooned, hugging his head to her shoulder and stroking his hair.

"My second mom!" Demyx replied, giving her a squeeze before finally letting go.

Steph took a step back to get a better view, scanning the blond's arms and studying his face. "No bruises, no cuts, you're- Demyx, are you actually not injured?"

Demyx nodded excitedly, proudly showing off his bruise-free arms. "I have a little scab on my knee, but that's because I fell down the stairs the other day trying to get the door open for Zexion. Our buzzer wasn't working, so I had to run all the way down, and, well, yea. I thought I could take the stairs 4 at a time, but it would appear I was mistaken."

Steph sighed, giving Demyx a skeptical look. "Four at a time, Dem? Although I wouldn't be surprised if you could, you've gotten so tall! And you've got these _shoulders_ now, you didn't have those before!"

Demyx nodded gravely. "Yea, I used to have to hold my arms on with duct tape, you know. When I turned 16 my mom bought me a pair of shoulders for my birthday, and I was-I was just so _happy_!"

Axel snorted from the table, chewing on his bite of omelet.

"Ha ha, very funny, you know what I mean! You've got these broad, manly shoulders now! And-and you're-you're-" Steph looked back and forth between Axel and Demyx, her face overjoyed. "My boys, my boys are turning into men! Before I know it, I'll be a grandma!"

Demyx and Axel exchanged a look with raised eyebrows before bursting into laughter as Steph darted off to look for a camera.

"Well, you know, Rox and I are expecting," Axel muttered, grinning at Demyx as the blond took the seat Steph had previously occupied.

Demyx's eyes widened, a look of fear crossing his face. "Oh God, Roxas would be such a bitch if he was pregnant. Can't you just see him lying in bed, fanning himself with the A/C on like, Arctic Breeze setting and making you bring him like, whatever obscure food he happened to be craving?"

"'Bring me more deep fried chicken feet, Axel! Axel, I'm _hungry_, I'm eating for two!'" Axel whined, putting on a high-pitched, Pregnant Woman Roxas voice.

"'Turn off that jangly music, Axel, I'm trying to play Mozart for the baby! Don't you want our baby to be smart? _Don't you want a prodigy_? Hendrix doesn't make prodigies, Axel, _Mozart makes prodigies! _Bring me more chicken feet, dammit!'" Demyx cried, pounding a fist on the table. "_CHICKEN FEET MAKE PRODIGIES!_"

The boys lapsed into uncontrollable laughter just in time for Steph to round the corner with her old Polaroid camera. The result would be treasured for years come – a photograph of both boys' grinning faces (Demyx's expression would later be described by Axel as 'epic') and a piece of omelet in flight, propelled from Axel's mouth as he spit it out laughing.

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Sora tried not to laugh as he watched Zexion's determined expression, the slim boy's teeth biting gently at his lower lip as he leaned closer to Sora's face.

"Stop moving," he said, his voice distracted as he maneuvered a tiny pair of scissors around Sora's bangs. "Why are you laughing?"

"It's-it's just… I just laugh sometimes," Sora replied, his explanation not particularly useful or informative. The truth was that he laughed when he was embarrassed or uncomfortable, and he was trying hard to keep from squirming away as the other boy trimmed the layers of hair around his face. He was acutely aware of a fairly small zit on his forehead that was usually covered by said hair, but Zexion was holding his hair up or pinning pieces back and Sora was sure the zit was visible, regardless of the fact that it wasn't really all that big. Zexion always seemed to have unbelievably clear skin, and even now, as they sat in old, baggy t-shirts and warm-ups in the sunny spot on Sora's bedroom floor, the silver-haired boy managed to look, well, great. Small chunks of Sora's hair floated down into a previously empty shoebox in his lap, and he chanced another glance up at Zexion's focused cerulean stare, the smaller boy's gaze flickering to meet Sora's for a moment before returning to the task at hand.

"Do you want them like... short? Or just trimmed a little?"

"Um… whatever you think would look the best. I mean, my skin is kinda crappy on my forehead, so it'd be good if… if my hair could cover it up or whatever," Sora mumbled, blushing as Zexion set his scissors down and attempted to look him in the eye.

"Sora. Sora, look up."

Sora grudgingly raised his head, ripping his eyes way from the small pile of hair in the shoebox to meet Zexion's soft stare.

"I don't even see anything. Your skin is fine."

"Not like yours… you always look good."

Zexion snorted. "Don't even," he said, giving Sora a look as he leaned back against the bed. "You're one of the cutest boys I've ever seen, so don't go all insecure on me. Plus, I put on makeup and pick out clothes that make me look nice – you could wear a paper bag to Prom and still make it look good."

"Are you _kidding me_?" Sora replied, smacking Zexion in the knee. "You're like… a classic beauty. You have perfect skin and nice blue eyes, and-and sharp, yet delicate features. _And_ you're wearing my crappy gym clothes and no makeup right now, and you still look amazing."

"Have you _seen _my hair? You have this pretty _chocolate_ color, and mine is _gray_."

"Ummm, I'd definitely go with _silver_, not gray. And your hair is always _perfect_, there's never like, a single strand out of place. And it's so soft! And shiny. Mine is lame brown and it sticks out all over the place."

"So? Mine flops around like a dead fish!" Zexion countered, looking out mournfully from behind his long bangs. "Plus, I'm short and scrawny. You're like, normal sized. And you have _muscles_."

"What muscles?" Sora cried, examining his arms. "_Riku_ has muscles. I have… girl arms."

"I have _spaghetti arms!_"

"You do _not _have spaghetti arms! You have a small bone structure! That's not _scrawny_, it's _petite!"_

"Your eyes are the deepest blue I've _ever_ seen!"

Sora blushed, looking down. "Well… I mean… yea, they're pretty blue. Um… Riku always says they look like sapphires. Oh! But don't tell him that I told you he said that. He doesn't like people to know that he says stuff like that."

Zexion laughed, picking up his scissors to clean up the edges of Sora's bangs. "I guess I'm not _that_ scrawny. I mean, I can throw a punch."

"Exactly!"

"And, um… And Demyx says – I just thought this was kind of cute – he said that, um, that he likes that I'm short because he can hug me better, and-and stuff… I mean, it sounds really dumb when I say it now, but it… I can't remember his exact words, but he said it really cute, something like, um… something like… that he liked me being so short and small because he could wrap his arms all around me and-and cuddle me like a stuffed animal. Except that it was better than hugging a stuffed animal because I'm warm and I hug back and smell nice."

Zexion turned slightly red as Sora cooed over his Demyx story, and he brushed the loose pieces of hair from Sora's bangs, determining them to be done.

Having both sufficiently complimented each other into submission, the two boys sat quietly for a moment, each lost in thoughts of their respective prom dates, who would be showing up in… Sora checked his watch.

"Oh my God, they're gonna be here in an _hour_! We have to get dressed!"

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Demyx smoothed out his hair as he climbed into Riku's car. He had gotten over his initial shock at just how sharp Riku looked in a tux a few minutes ago, and was now trying to deal with his newly budding inferiority complex as he surveyed his own pinstriped suit from his position in the passenger's seat of Riku's year-old Mercedes. He did not feel the need to dwell on the fact that his car was, in fact, a bike, and it was getting so rusty that he often chose to walk places instead, or simply bum rides off of others (as he happened to be doing right then).

For the simple practicality of parking at Prom, they had decided to go in one car, and since Riku had the nicest one (and he didn't particularly feel like getting bombed at Prom), he had been elected designated driver. Not that any of them were really planning to drink – Demyx didn't drink at all, Sora very rarely did, and Zexion sure as hell wasn't going to be the only drunk one there. He figured he'd have more fun sober anyway; Demyx was a wonderful date, but if Zexion was drinking he'd get sort of quiet and bored. Thus, Zexion hadn't been drinking much lately, and he didn't particularly mind. Demyx always got all cute and excited when they were together anyway, and it'd be fun to watch their classmates dance like morons as opposed to being one of said moronic dancers.

It had all been very well planned out, and at this point, Demyx's excitement over picking up the other two boys and, well, the evening in general, was enough to overcome his lack of dashing James Bond-esque sexiness. He was so lost in thought that he didn't even notice they had pulled up in front of Sora's house until the cool evening air rushed in through Riku's open door.

Getting out and closing his own door, he brushed off his jacket and looked up hopefully at Riku, who was nervously trying to straighten out his collar.

"Am I okay? Do I have anything on me?" he asked, turning in a circle so Riku could survey him for any crumbs he might have picked up from the car seat.

Riku shook his head. "You're good. What about me, do I look alright? You think Sora will approve?"

Demyx snorted. "Sora would approve if you took him to Prom wearing dirty jeans and an old sweatshirt. Incidentally, you look like James Bond. Like… in a good way. Very classy."

Riku laughed, slipping his keys into his pocket as he turned to walk up to the house. "Thanks. You look great too, really. And you can be sure that Sora's mom is gonna take at least, oh, six thousand pictures of us, give or take a few."

Demyx laughed too, although his laugh was a little choked with anxiety as he reached to ring the doorbell. He and Riku exchanged a stoic look as they heard footsteps, and within seconds, Roxas had wrenched the door open from within, rubbing his eyes with hands hidden in too-long sweatshirt sleeves.

"Whoah! Wow. You guys are all dressed up," he observed, pushing up his sleeves and digging his hands into the pockets of his jeans. "Come on in and sit down, Sora and Zexion are completely freaking out trying to get ready. Not that I told you that or anything. I mean, they're just not quite done yet. They're completely calm. Of course."

He rolled his eyes as he let the two older boys in, nodding towards the stairs. A loud thump came from the second floor, following by a few Sora squeals and Zexion's tinkling laughter.

"I'm sure they'll be down soon," he said half-heartedly, sitting cross-legged on the coffee table across from the others, who had taken their seats on the couch.

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Sora tapped his foot impatiently as Zexion leaned closer to the bathroom mirror, watching with one eye as he slid a freshly sharpened eyeliner pencil along the other.

"Would you stop that? I'm almost done! You can go down first if you want."

"I'm _waiting_ for _you_," Sora replied, plucking the pencil from Zexion's unsuspecting fingers. "Come _on!_ You look fine! Let's _go_-oo…."

Dashing into the hallway, Sora dragged Zexion along with him to the top of the stairs.

"You guys? Are you down there? Close your eyes, ok? Guys? Are they closed? Are your eyes closed?"

"Yes, Sora, our eyes are closed."

The two shared one last agitated look before descending the stairs, giggling as they went. Entering the living room, they stood before the three blinded boys; Zexion with his hands in his pockets and Sora fidgeting with the ends of his sleeves.

"Um… um… you can open them now if you want," Sora said nervously, throwing his arms out and striking a pose as the others opened their eyes. "Ta-daaa!"

Riku burst into laughter at the sight of Sora in formal attire, while Demyx simply gaped at Zexion in awe. Roxas looked rather impressed, watching the others get up from his spot on the coffee table.

It only took them about 20 more minutes to get out of the house. Sora and Roxas's mom emerged from her bedroom with a camera and insisted on taking pictures of every possible combination of the four, including one with Roxas standing awkwardly on the side in his jeans, looking tremendously out of place. She decided that Demyx looked like a jazz singer, Riku looked like a spy, Zexion looked like a mafia man, and Sora looked like Sora wearing a suit. The brunet had sulked a little until she reconsidered her decision, dubbing him a 'gentleman' as opposed to just himself. Roxas was reminded of a gentleman's club, and he tried to push the strange thought of his brother at some sketchy club with darkened windows out of his mind. By the time he'd managed to forget about it, the others had finally made it out the door, and after waving goodbye to them, he headed back up to his room to change.

Since Axel's mom was having some kind of reunion with her old friends that night, Axel was going to hang out at Roxas's, and the blond had to get everything in place. Fooling around when his parents were home (without them noticing, of course) was an art, and the two of them had managed to come up with a pretty effective system for covert hooking up, despite the fact that Roxas's mom had a nasty habit of barging into Roxas's room with food, or walking by just to "see how you boys are doing, and see if you need anything!"

The first key to success was for both of them to wear pajama pants, sweatpants, gym pants – pants that didn't have a zipper, and were easy to pull on and off quickly. Roxas chose his usual plaid pajama pants; they were comfy and warm, and he wore them around the house a lot anyway, so it wouldn't be suspicious to his parents if he wore them then. He pulled one of the quilts from his bed, folding it up nicely and setting it on the chair beside the bed for later use. The boys would pick a movie, make popcorn, and head upstairs. They'd get all settled in in Roxas's bed, put on the movie, and promptly not watch it, choosing instead to mess around until they heard footsteps in the hall. If the footsteps came close enough, they'd sit up casually; Axel would put the bowl of popcorn in his lap if he had anything to conceal, and Roxas would pull the quilt over the lower half of his body, claiming just to be cold. It was big and lumpy, so there was never any trouble. They'd laid down a few ground rules to make their cover acceptable – they couldn't touch each other's hair, because it was hard to fix that quickly, and they never fully took their clothes off. Shirts were pushed up, pants pulled down to knees, but never taken all the way off. So far, they had never been caught, and they managed to have a pretty good time, although they couldn't really do very much. After Roxas's parents went to sleep, they'd give each other silent blowjobs under the covers, and if one of the supposedly sleeping parents happened to wander down the hall to the bathroom or, as Roxas's mom often did, to check on them, they'd simply pretend to be asleep. Whoever had been doing the blowing would leave a leg slung over the other to hide any awkward lumps in the covers, and they'd pretend they'd just been cuddling in their sleep.

_Quilt in place… I'm wearing the right pants (and Axel's snuggly hoodie!)… Washed the popcorn bowl earlier… And he should be here in, well, 5 minutes ago. _

Right on cue, the doorbell rang, and Roxas grinned as he traipsed down the stairs to answer the door.

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_Do you wanna know, if everything glitterin'… could turn into the gold I see in your hair? I… feel it could be there, somehow tonight…_

Sora's head was heavy on Riku's shoulder as they danced, if you could even call it dancing. It was more of a shifting of weight and turning in slow circles, and in the dim light, Riku almost forgot that they were in the school gym.

_And do you wanna find, something worth saving? The change would do me right… I've been just waiting, and hesitating with this heart of mine…_

Demyx smiled as he felt Zexion hold him tighter. He was content to dance slow; the silver-haired boy had tried to teach him to tango earlier and he'd failed miserably, tripping over both Zexion's feet and his own. He hardly realized he'd actually stopped moving until the other boy looked up, smiling as well.

"You done dancing?"

"Huh?"

"You stopped," Zexion said, gesturing at their stationary feet.

"Oh, I just, I didn't even realize. I mean, we can keep dancing if you want. Sorry," Demyx replied, stuttering a little as another couple brushed past him.

Zexion smiled again, shaking his head. "Don't apologize. We don't have to dance."

"But if you want to…"

"I don't."

"You don't?"

"If you'd rather not dance, I don't mind. It's not like I'm very good either," Zexion said, shrugging happily. His arms dropped from their previous position on Demyx's shoulders, much to the blond's chagrin.

"Well… what _do _you want to do?" Demyx asked, suddenly confused. Why were they dancing if neither of them wanted to dance? It wasn't as if he really _didn't_ want to, but… did Zexion want to dance? Was he just being nice? Did it matter?

Demyx's thoughts were quelled as the other boy's hand reached out to touch his face. Soft lips met his own, and he didn't really mind that other couples bumped into them as they moved past; he was happy this way.

_It's still a mystery, but there's something so easy in, how you're sweet to me… I feel completed, like it's… something I needed for this heart of mine… _

"Riku, look."

"Hmm?"

Riku looked down at Sora, then turned his head to where Sora was looking.

"What?"

"Demyx and Zexion," Sora explained, gesturing toward the pair as another couple moved out of the way. "Aren't they cute?"

Riku watched for a moment. Demyx had pulled back from the kiss and was saying something…. Zexion laughed, and he leaned his head on Demyx's chest as the blond pulled him into a tight embrace.

"Yea," he said, unable to keep himself from smiling at Zexion's 'Dazed, But So, So Happy' expression. "Yea, they're pretty cute."

"Riku?"

"Yea?"

Sora sighed, beaming at Riku as he looked up. "Riku, right now, I think that… I think this is perfect. I'm not worried right now, about-about finals, and graduation, and getting a job this summer before we go to college. I'm not worried about any of it right now. Everyone looks so pretty tonight – did you see Rikku? She's here with Wakka. Her dress is like… I mean… Just look around. We're… we're all grown up, aren't we?"

"We're dancing in a school gym," Riku said, raising his eyebrows. Laughing at the dark look Sora gave him, he continued. "I'm kidding. I know what you mean. It's… Sora, it's gonna be good. This summer, and… after the summer. It's gonna be really good."

"I'm scared, a little," Sora admitted, looking down. "I mean, it's so far away from home."

"Yea, but we're going together. Hell, Sora, we're gonna be _living_ together. I think we can make a little dorm room into a home, yea? It's not so scary. It'll be like that time we went to summer camp together, except… for 9 months, instead of 3 weeks."

"Plus, we'll come home for breaks," Sora added, putting on his brave face. "I'm glad we both got in. I was worried that you would and I wouldn't."

"Of course you got in," Riku said, squeezing the brunet a little tighter. "Plus, even if we'd got split up, I mean… Think about it, So. We're not gonna be in classes with each other or anything, and I… I mean, we're gonna have our own lives. You know what I mean? The fact that we'll be at the same college means we get to live together and root for the same team at football games, but I think… I think it wouldn't be that different. I think we'd still be together, even if we went to different schools. Right?"

"Riku…"

Riku narrowed his eyes, taking a step back. "What?"

Sora looked up, a fierce expression crossing his face. "Riku, you better not get all sophisticated at college and find someone else and leave me. I'd-I'd cry! I'd cry so much all the liquid would be gone from my body and-and I'd turn into a big, stupid raisin!"

Riku snorted. "If I was gonna leave you, you'd have to do something so awful to me that I wouldn't care if you turned into a human raisin."

"But… but I'm always hearing these stories about people who-people who are absolutely in love in high school, and then they go to college and they… drift apart. And they break up. And-and I'm afraid, because I can't… I can't even begin to imagine my life without you in it."

Riku sighed. "Sora… those people are different. You know why?"

The brunet shook his head, and Riku took his hand to pull him off the dance floor. They sat down at an empty table near the wall, and Riku turned himself so Sora would look him in the eye.

"Sora, those people break up because there isn't really space in their relationship for them to grow and change and still feel the same about each other, even when they seem completely different. Even if nothing bad happens between them, they just lose the feelings that they had. You know what I mean? We're different, though, see?"

"How are we different?" Sora asked quietly, leaning his head on one of his hands. "I mean, we're gonna grow and change too, it's not like we're gonna stay the same forever or something."

"Well yea, I know that," Riku said, dismissing Sora's comment with a wave of his hand. "That much is obvious – I'm not denying that we'll change. What I'm saying is… Sora, I've loved you since I was a little kid. Not romantically, of course, but-but like a friend, like a brother, you've always been there for me, with me… my whole life, as far back as I can remember, we've been friends, and we-we _grew up_ together, Sora. That in itself constitutes change. Remember your soccer phase? It pissed me off, but I was still your friend, and you stuck with me and supported me through... God, do you remember me in Junior High? Remember the-the series of obsessions? I wanted to be a photographer, and you were supportive even when I dragged you out in the rain to take pictures of a _dead tree_. And when I was convinced that I would be a poet? You read my shitty poetry and put up with me angsting in my room with the blinds pulled shut every weekend for like, 5 months straight. And-and that's not even changes that really stuck, you know? That's little stuff that came and went, but-but there's stuff like, stuff like how we used to always play basketball together, remember? That was like, all we did from 3rd grade until like, 8th grade. I mean, we did some other stuff, but we _always _played basketball, and when I stopped playing, that didn't faze you at all. And you didn't stop – you kept playing until like, last year, but we stayed friends anyway. The thing is… the stuff that keeps us together isn't-isn't what we do, or what we're interested in, it's… it's…"

"Each other," Sora said, finishing Riku's sentence as he trailed off. "No matter what else I'm interested in, I've always still been interested in you. And-and it goes both ways. Even when you were angsting with the blinds shut, you'd still ask how soccer practice went. And I'd still tell you about the goals I _almost_ made for a few minutes before I'd ask you what you'd been writing."

"Exactly," Riku agreed, nodding. "The thing is… we're open, you know? We're open to change, and to all that kinda stuff, but while that stuff can draw people apart, with us… the-the point is…"

He paused for a moment, looking down, then met Sora's eyes. "The point is, I'm in love with you, Sora. And no matter what, there's nothing that could stop me loving you."

_So though we cannot know, if everything glitterin'… will turn into the gold, I'm through with waiting, and hesitating, I want you taking… this heart of mine._

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_Fuck!_

Soft footsteps could be heard coming down the hall, and Axel forced himself to close his eyes and try to relax. He could feel Roxas yanking his shirt back down and curling up beside him, wiping the accumulated spit away from his lips as he laid his head on the redhead's shoulder. A barely audible click could be heard, then the rush of cool air from the hallway on his face for a moment before the door was closed again. As the footsteps padded back down the hall, Axel opened his eyes.

"We're getting good at this," Roxas whispered, giving him a quick kiss before sliding back under the blankets.

Axel would have responded, but he was preoccupied biting back his moans as the blond's tongue teased him once again.

It was almost midnight, which meant that had probably been the final check on them for the night. Despite this, Axel still tried to stay quiet; there was no way whichever one of Roxas's parents had just been there could have fallen asleep already, and he didn't want to take any chances.

He could feel the pressure building… he was so damn close… He let out a small whimper as the blond sucked harder – there was something kind of exciting about being unable to see what the other boy would do next, although it didn't hold a candle to being able to watch Roxas's face. He gritted his teeth, and the last thing he caught before squeezing his eyes shut tight and stifling another moan was the bright digital clock beside Roxas's bed; the neon green 11:57 still burned into his eyelids as he came.

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"11:58, not bad," Demyx said, turning to close and lock the back door of the apartment behind Zexion. "We even made it in before midnight."

"You're sure it's okay if I stay here tonight?"

Demyx turned again, taking off his tie as he followed the other boy into the kitchen. "Yea, my mom's not even gonna get home until later…"

He trailed off as he realized Zexion hadn't actually gone into the kitchen, but his room, having left the door ajar behind him.

"Y-you… are you…?"

Demyx hesitantly poked his head around the corner. Zexion was leaning back against the wall, his shirt and jacket unbuttoned and his thumbs hooked into the top of his pants, the material tugged down a bit to expose smooth, pale skin.

"I think we've taken things slow enough," he said quietly, unbuttoning his pants excruciatingly slowly as Demyx approached him. "You've been so patient with me."

Demyx swallowed the immense amount of saliva that seemed to have suddenly materialized in his mouth. It was true… they had been together for two months, and they'd really just made out a lot. On occasion, Zexion would suck him off, but he hadn't let Demyx touch him from the waist down.

Slipping the other boy's jacket and shirt off of his shoulders, Demyx leaned in to kiss him, their bodies pressed close against each other. Feeling the other pushing back, he lapsed into his usual submission, allowing himself to be pushed back onto his bed before they hit a pause in the action, Zexion lying beside him with his pants half zipped, staring at him expectantly.

"What? What are you waiting for?" he asked, removing his own shirt and dropping it onto the floor.

"You," Zexion replied, his face confused. "I'm waiting for you. Don't you want this?"

"I…" Demyx suddenly understood, and his eyes widened as he realized what Zexion had in mind. "I-of course I want to, it's just, um… I'm usually… I mean, I've never…"

Zexion narrowed his eyes. "You're a virgin? But I thought you said you-"

"No, no, I'm not a _virgin_, I've just… I've never been, um… on top."

Zexion blinked. "Oh."

"Yea."

Both boys were silent for a moment, thinking.

"What should we do, then?" Demyx finally asked, propping himself up a bit on his elbows.

"I think," Zexion began slowly, climbing atop the blond and pressing him down into his pillow with a kiss. "I think we should do… what feels good."

"Ah… that sounds… good…"

Demyx grinned as he felt Zexion's nimble fingers unbuttoning his pants.

"That sounds… just fine…"

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_11:59…_

Cloud eyed the cheerful numbers on his bedside clock with disgust as he rolled over. Leon had stolen the blankets, and the blond had woken up freezing, his bare toes numb. Prying the blankets from Leon's sleeping kung-fu grip, he crawled closer, snuggling against the brunet for warmth as he attempted to wrap the blankets around his own shoulders as well. Unfortunately, even a sleeping Leon did not give up that easily; he fought back, rolling away from Cloud and dragging the blankets with him, leaving the blond cold once again.

"Bastard," Cloud muttered, sitting up and pulling his knees to his chest for warmth. He considered his options for a moment: He could either get a sweatshirt and some socks, or get one of the blankets from the couch in the living room, or he could wake Leon up and force him to share.

Far too lazy to get out of bed, he shook the brunet's shoulder until he responded, groaning and looking up slowly.

"Nnuhhh…?"

"You stole the blankets," Cloud said matter-of-factly, smiling a little as the brunet sat up, trying to disentangle himself from the blankets he'd subconsciously wrapped himself in.

"Sorry," Leon said groggily, spreading the covers out across them both. "I didn't try to."

"I like you better when you're sleepy. You're nicer," Cloud noted, curling up against him once again.

Leon barely mumbled a reply before he was asleep again, and Cloud found he was no longer cold at all, the warmth of Leon's arms and his many blankets surrounding him and lulling him into sleep as well.

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"12:00," Riku said, eyeing the clock in Sora's kitchen as they kicked their shoes off. "Midnight on the dot."

After dropping off Demyx and Zexion, they'd decided to spend the night at Sora's, since it was a lot closer than Riku's house. Sora smiled over his shoulder and held a finger to his lips to quiet Riku as they made their way upstairs; he was sure his parents would be asleep, and if Roxas and Axel were, he didn't want to wake them either.

They entered Sora's room and changed quietly into sleeping clothes, but when Sora gestured for Riku to come to bed, the silver-haired boy shook his head, instead pulling Sora over to the window to look out.

"Stars," he whispered, pointing at the sky, and as the brunet leaned closer to look out, his face was illuminated in the pale moonlight.

"Oh…"

Sora stood transfixed for a moment before taking Riku's hand and leading him back down the stairs and out the front door. He left the door open, pulling Riku into the grass in his front yard to look up. A faint, orangey glow could be seen to the East, the city lights tinting the night sky, but if they turned to the West, there was just the simple, clear, deep blue, dotted with stars. He laughed a little as he felt Riku hugging him from behind, the taller boy giving him a light kiss on the cheek before resting his head on Sora's shoulder.

"It's... incredible," Sora said, awestruck. "Riku, are you looking?"

"Mmhmm."

"We can never see the stars from here, because-because of the city lights, Riku, but-but _look!_"

"I'm looking!"

"There's _stars!_"

"I know, So. Remember how I pointed them out to you like, 30 seconds ago?"

Sora just laughed, and they eventually sat down. When Sora finally fell asleep on his shoulder, Riku figured it'd be a good time to go in for the night, and he carried the brunet up to bed, falling asleep almost immediately as he curled up beside him.

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**AN:** And there you have Prom. La la, prom. And fluffy stuff, too! Guess what, dudes (and dudettes, oh wow I should delete that.. but will I? XD) there are only two more chapters. Oh God, I know! It makes me sad. When I finish, I am gonna have a root beer float (I am not kidding). You guys should too, because root beer floats are the shit.  
Not-Particularly-Interesting side note: I watched so much Air Gear while I was writing this, I started to picture Zexion as Akito (omfg I know, they don't look anything like each other). I had to look up a picture of Zexion on google just to remember what he looked like. Waa, Akito is fucking adorable. So is Zexion though, so it's all good.  
Next chapter should be up fairly soon, but I can't promise a week as usual due to various other stuff (holidays. visiting my grandmother. new year's. racquetball. the few members of my extended family who don't live where I do have come to visit, too.). All in all, it's quite hectic, but the chapter will be up fairly soon, I promise.  
**Thanks so much for reading, I hope you enjoyed the chapter, and please leave a review and let me know what you thought! Oh, and Happy Holidays:D**


	28. The Penultimate Chapter!

Disclaimer: Kingdom Hearts does not belong to me!

AN: Waaaa, I know, I know it's so, so late! I'm so sorry! Holidays and all, and then some problems with alerts... Also, I wrote this once and was extremely dissatisfied with it, so I had to rewrite about half of it. Anyways, thanks so much for all the reviews on the previous chapter! I think I was able to reply to most of them... if I missed yours, I apologize!  
In other news, this chapter! is the second to last. And I'm posting it during class, so... I hope you guys like it! And once again, I'm so sorry for the delay! (And thank you for the reviews!)

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Axel shifted in his seat again, trying to get comfortable. The graduating class was so big that they actually had to hold the ceremony in the basketball stadium of a nearby university, and the only place they'd been able to find enough seats still open to fit their entire group (Axel and Steph, all of Sora's family, and Demyx's mom, plus Rikku and Namine, who'd decided to tag along for good measure) was in the upper balcony. The seats were extremely uncomfortable, and Axel had been trying to sleep (he was between Roxas and Rikku, neither of whom cared) to no avail. Some old guy had been talking for a good 20 minutes, and he didn't seem to have anything riveting to say, in Axel's opinion. He shifted to lean a little against Roxas's side, ignoring the blond's grumbling, and continued to space out, on the verge of sleep when he heard a familiar voice ringing out from the microphone.

"Um, hi everyone! I, um… My name is Demyx, and I'm gonna… um… I'm gonna be making a-a speech here, shortly. Right now, actually. I'll just, uh, I'll just get started then…"

Axel shook himself awake, leaning forward on the railing to see his friend. Demyx looked pretty small from far away, and he hoped the blond wouldn't get too flustered, as he had a habit of doing.

_Just don't faint, or throw up. Or drop the mic. In fact, just leave the mic on the lectern. Leave it. Leave it, Demyx, I see you reaching for it. GOD DAMMIT, DON'T TAKE THE MIC OFF THE LECTERN, YOU WILL INEVITABLY DROP IT. Oh my God… oh my God, it's Demyx-proof. It's **attached**._

Roxas sighed as he watched Demyx figure out that he would have to stay stationary at the lectern. Finally, he gave up on trying to separate the mic from its stand, and he cleared his throat, looking out at the audience again.

"Heh, okay then… Um, alright! So, getting started. It's-it's kind of a funny story how I came to be the one giving this speech, actually. See, um, there's-well, there were two kids in our class with the exact same GPA, and, um, well, we tied. For grades, that is, this wonderful girl Larxene and I. So the administrators tried to figure out who they should call the, well, the model student, or whatever, but-but both of us had equally bad marks on our respective records, which is-which is another story, that we won't talk about now… But basically, we-we had to pick between us, and, um, and Larxene was gonna do it, but then, um, but then she didn't, so… so I am…"

"This is kind of painful," Roxas whispered, raising his eyebrows as Axel glared at him.

"Shut up, ok? He's trying. He'll… he'll figure it out," Axel hissed, leaning on the railing again.

"So I apologize if I'm not really the kind of kid you'd expect to see up here, but-but I'm gonna go for it here, ok? If you guys are ready… Um, so basically, I'm gonna… I'm gonna talk for a minute here about, um, about high school, and then really quick about-about all the other stuff. That isn't high school. Is that, um… is that good?"

Roxas groaned, his head in his hands. Axel dutifully ignored him, glaring around at the silent audience. He stood up, leaning over the railing, and studied Demyx's petrified expression.

"Yea, that sounds good, Dem!"

A low murmur arose, and Roxas groaned again, hiding his face as everyone around them turned to see who had just yelled out an answer to what they had assumed was a rhetorical question.

Demyx's eyes flickered up to the balcony, and he grinned nervously, giving a little wave.

"Heh… hi Axel…"

Rikku had dragged Axel back into his seat by that time, and he ignored the whispered punishments from his friends, focusing instead on the small smile on his mother's face and the grin that Demyx had given him. A newfound confidence in Demyx's voice, he continued.

"Ok, so basically, a few weeks ago I had this dream, right? This-this really weird dream, and I won't get into the details, but essentially, the dream really brought it home that I was _graduating_ soon. I woke up with this _feeling_, like… like the apocalypse was coming or something. And what I realized was, um… was that I was scared. I was _really_ scared. I was _terrified_, and for good reason. You know why? Because your whole life, everyone's always talking about how someday, you'll be done with whatever part of school you're in. When you're in elementary school, it's 'You just wait, you'll be in middle school before you know it!' And then junior high, and then _High School_, big scary High School, with a capital H and S, right?"

Axel opened his mouth to reply again, but before he could, Rikku had clamped a hand over his mouth, and Roxas was shooting him a dark look. He shot one right back, but by the time he managed to get free from Rikku's grip, Demyx had already begun to talk again.

"Right, so then you get to high school, and it's not so big and scary, and suddenly… the next step is gone. Suddenly, it's 'you just wait, in 4 short years you'll be in the _real world_, you'll be an _adult_.' And-and that's all fine and dandy when you're a freshman, you think 'Oh, I have time. I have time to do dumb stuff and be immature.' You get to sophomore year and you think 'Hey, I'm still in the first half of high school. I don't have to grow up yet.' Junior year, you're an upperclassman, you think 'Yea, I'm cooler than the lame Sophomores and the stupid froshies, but hey, I've still got half of high school to screw around.' And then you're a senior, and everyone's all over you to be grown up all of a sudden, and you're not ready because you spent the past 3 years telling yourself you didn't have to do it yet. You know, you've been taking little steps, because-because in High School, it's all about this-this weird balance, between being a kid and being an adult. You always… you always want to be grown up, you want to be older than you are, but then as soon as something comes along that says 'Hey! You! Be an adult! Take responsibility. Step up,' you're kind of glad you're still a kid, and you can go home and have someone else make you food and curl up in a blanket and watch TV all weekend. And-and ok, I'm getting off track."

Demyx paused for a moment, taking a deep breath.

"My point here is… my point is… is that you spend all of high school listening to people tell you that once you get out, real life can begin. And when you're suddenly faced with-with this enigmatic "Real Life" coming up in-in just a couple weeks, a couple days, a couple hours… It's scary as all hell. You feel like-like nothing could possibly prepare you for it, you know? _Real Life._ You wonder what the past 18 years have been, if not real life. And that's when I realized… there was no reason to be afraid. Because I was sitting there, I was wondering just that – what have these past 18 years been, if my real life hasn't even started yet? And I-I realized that it's a lie. Real life starts the moment you open your eyes and make some weird little crying noise and pee on the nurse's hand in the hospital. Or-or whenever, but-but you know what I mean, you know what I'm getting at here. _Real life_ has been going on this whole time, and we've all been so busy telling ourselves that we still have time to be morons before Real Life starts that we've been completely unaware of it happening around us, and-and… And so there really isn't any reason to be afraid, right? It's just doing something different every day instead of spending it in the same big, brick building. We're all still us, aren't we?"

He paused again, his gaze flickering to the side as he saw Dr. Highwind gesturing for him to wrap it up.

"I guess, um… I guess I don't have anything really original to say. You know, eat food that's good for you, take care of yourself. Every time a door closes, another one opens. The world is full of opportunities. You can be whatever you want to be, don't get discouraged, all that. Don't get too busy to curl up with hot tea and watch a stupid movie, and don't get too lazy to make the tea for yourself. Enjoy youth while we're all still young; someday we'll be old, and it'll probably suck. Most of all, though, be nice, and don't be scared, because if-if all of us remember to be nice, then there's no reason to be scared, because the world will be full of nice people, right? Um, ok, so Dr. Highwind is gesticulating wildly at me to just shut up and get off the stage, so I should wrap this up. Thanks for listening, and really, the point of all this… Just remember to be nice. People are people, and we all deserve a chance. So I'll get moving, and we can all pick up our little pieces of paper and let Real Life begin, yea? Sound good? I thought so."

Waving goodbye, he left the stage with another "Thanks" before a sort of confused round of applause began, and Axel sat back, smiling quietly to himself.

"That was, um…"

"Interesting," Namine said, trying not to laugh.

"Different?" Rikku supplied.

"Well prepared," Roxas said sarcastically.

Axel snorted. "He was really nervous. They didn't tell him he was gonna have to do it until like, 2 hours ago, when Larxene backed out. She called in sick, can you believe that?"

The girls murmured replies, and they talked for a little while as names started being called. Eventually exhausting their topics of conversation, however, they lapsed into silence until Demyx's name was called, at which point Axel stood up and let out a loud whoop of congratulation, clapping hard despite the polite request at the beginning to hold all applause until the very end. It wasn't as if he was the only one – most people's families would cheer for them as they were called; you could tell the Legendary Sports Hero types because of the sheer amount of people cheering for them.

Roxas deemed himself too shy to do it, as did Namine, so when Riku was called (after what seemed like forever), Axel and Rikku stood up together to clap, Axel letting out a loud "Yea, _Riku!_" and Rikku simply squealing. The microphone picked up the boy's quiet laughter as he walked off the stage, and he gave Axel a small salute before taking his seat again, grinning up at him from the ground floor.

By the time Sora was called, Roxas had gotten up the nerve to cheer, and Sora could almost be mistaken for a Legendary Sports Hero judging by the amount of applause he got. He had always been incurably friendly, and most of the massive graduating class cheered for him as he walked across the stage. Outside of his classmates, Roxas, Axel, Rikku, and Namine all got up, as did Leon (although he was seated with the rest of the family further down the row) and Nana. Sora's parents chose to clap politely from their seats, although his mom did get up momentarily to take pictures of Sora shaking hands with Dr. Highwind. As he began to walk off the stage, Sora turned around to wave at the group in the balcony, and in doing so accidentally dropped his diploma off the edge of the stage. Turning bright red at the wave of laughter sweeping through the stadium, he hurried down the short staircase and picked it up, an earsplitting round of applause breaking out as he held it safely to his chest, heading for his seat.

Rikku stood up to cheer for Wakka, although since he _was_ a bona fide Legendary Sports Hero her voice was drowned out among many others.

As she sat down again, she was met with a knowing look from Axel.

"So, you and Wakka, huh?" he asked, wagging his eyebrows up and down. "He took you to Prom, right?"

"Isn't he _sweet_?" Rikku gushed, clutching her hands together. "He's _so_ cute. And _so_ good at football. And he has _really _nice arms! And-and he said that I looked like Marilyn Monroe in my dress, except _hotter!_"

"God, Sora wouldn't shut up about that dress," Roxas muttered, putting his feet up on the railing and settling back as they made their way through the remaining W names.

"Don't be such a dick, Rox, I'm sure it was a nice dress," Axel replied, giving Roxas a playfully challenging look.

"Yea? You know, speaking of dick-ly behavior, who was it that got up and yelled during Demyx's speech?"

"I was being _encouraging!_"

"Uh huh."

Axel sighed, flicking Roxas in the forehead before turning back to Rikku, pointedly ignoring the punch in the arm he got back. "So, is he your boyfriend?"

Rikku snorted. "God, no! I mean, he's cute and all, but if I'm gonna call a guy my boyfriend, he has to be a little bit, well… smarter. Plus," she added, reaching over Axel to ruffle Roxas's hair, "I'm still holdin' out for li'l Roxy!"

She launched into a fit of giggles as Roxas smacked her hands away, grumbling at being called Roxy, which he had classified as even worse than being called kid.

Axel made a sort of snarling noise, wrapping an arm around Roxas's shoulders and giving the girl a disapproving look. "Mine, bitch! And, like I told Sora way back in the day, be careful who you call little."

His comment was met with a look of both intrigue and disgust from Rikku, and a smack from Roxas, who pointed out that his parents were sitting a mere three seats away. The two boys quickly became engaged in playful banter, Axel murmuring suggestive comments at Roxas, then laughing as the blond responded with exasperation.

Their intense conversation was only broken when Zexion's name was called; he was the very last, and the applause for him bled into the applause for the whole class as the entire audience stood. One boring but mercifully short speech later, the group was attempting to make its way down the stairs and out the door, where they would get in their cars and head back to the high school. The graduates were being bussed back, and the school was holding a barbecue in the gym fields in their honor.

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"Okay, now one of just the graduates!"

Taking excessive amounts of pictures to document even the most insignificant memories had always been one of Cloud's guilty pleasures, and he was intensely enjoying playing photographer for the group's graduation photos. In between planned photos (like the one he was currently attempting to set up), he continued to catch candid shots of extreme importance: the back of Sora's mother's head as she turned away from the camera, unaware that she was being photographed; Zexion scratching his nose; Sora wiping the sweat from his brow as he attempted to stay cool in the hot, scratchy graduation gown. Herding the four graduates together, he stepped back and surveyed their overwhelmed expressions with a feral grin.

"Now, on the count of three, everyone say 'Thursday,'" he instructed, trying out different angles for the shot.

"What? Why 'Thursday?'"

Zexion was the one bold enough to ask the question – the others were fairly terrified of Cloud at this point. He channeled all the ferocity of a high school coach into his photography, and they'd learned that asking questions was futile and, in some cases, dangerous.

"Because," Cloud replied slowly, not taking his eyes off the small digital screen, "It gives you the perfect smile."

"What if you take it too early and we're all in the 'Thurs' part? Then we'll just look like morons," Zexion said, narrowing his eyes. "What happened to saying cheese? Or better yet, just smiling?"

Sora cowered behind Riku a little as Cloud wrenched his eyes away from the camera screen to raise his eyebrows at the small boy.

"Since you don't know me very well, I'll let you off with just a warning," he said, his words measured and deliberate. "I do _not_ take pictures too early. And you _will_ say Thursday."

Zexion opened his mouth to argue, but Riku kicked him hard in the shins before he could utter a single word of defiance.

"Just give up," he muttered, slinging an arm around Sora and gesturing for Demyx to close in a little for the shot. "You can't win, and the sooner we say Thursday and get it over with, the sooner he'll leave us alone and take pictures of Sora's family."

Sora let out a cry of protest, which was quickly silenced by an indiscriminate yet commanding noise from Cloud.

"Alright. On the count of three… Thursday."

The boys nodded, Zexion with a slight pout, and Cloud commenced the countdown.

"Three… two… one…"

A collective chorus of 'Thursday's sounded – Demyx and Sora giving it their all, Riku mumbling, and Zexion sounding vaguely confused. Immediately after being effectively blinded by the flashbulb, they all crowded around the camera to examine the picture.

Surprisingly, despite their drastically different looks, they all had two things in common – a perfect smile and an ugly gown.

Riku found himself deserted fairly quickly; Demyx and Zexion had run off to talk to their respective parents, and Sora had been dragged along to take pictures with Leon and Roxas. Having come to the ceremony and congratulated him already, Riku's own parents had dashed to a business meeting, leaving him at the barbecue with his friends. He didn't really mind that they'd gone; after all, they did have to work, and his mom had asked him at least 600 times if it was okay for them to leave early. They'd given him hugs and kisses and congratulations, and having sufficiently messed up his hair and showered their love, they were free to head out. That was how they had always worked: quickly and efficiently; and yet, Riku knew if he had asked them to stay, they would have found a way.

He stood around for a little while, watching Cloud rearranging Sora's family to his liking. Robed graduates waltzed by in the background, and as the sun began to set, the realization really began to set in that high school was over.

He watched his classmates grinning and laughing with their families.

_I'm not going to see these people anymore._

He watched Zexion and Demyx helping each other climb out of their gowns, their faces, their movements so familiar now.

_I won't see them, except on breaks when we're all at home. _

He watched Axel balancing a cigarette between his lips, watched him pull out the lighter he used when he didn't feel like drawing any attention to himself and his hands, watched him hesitate, his eyes ashamed as they met Roxas's disappointed expression. He sighed, slipping the lighter and cigarette back into his back pocket, then smiled as the blond reached for his hand, lacing their fingers together and giving him a light kiss on the cheek in appreciation of his efforts.

_Roxas really isn't just Sora's little brother. He's a nice guy. _

Axel was grinning now, his animated eyebrows raised as he laughed at something Roxas was saying. The redhead's laughter was loud and contagious – pretty soon he'd managed to include everyone around him in the conversation, and everyone was smiling.

_He's… someone I wish I'd taken the time to know a lot sooner. _

Cloud had finally pronounced the posed pictures to be done, and Riku gave Sora a weak smile as the brunet appeared beside him, allowing himself to be herded over to the food.

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"Ahhh…"

Axel let out a loud sigh of relief as he sat down on the picnic blanket between Roxas and Leon. It had taken him far longer than expected to get food; he'd been the last in their group, and Roxas (who had been right before him) had taken the last hamburger. Alas, he'd had to wait for the teacher volunteer to make more, and by the time he'd reached the blanket, the others were all almost done. At current, Sora was discussing his summer job options with Leon and Zexion while Demyx and Roxas took the mature route and threw chips at each other.

"You should work at a movie place," Axel said, completely disregarding whatever branch of ideas had been forming before he'd arrived. "So you get an employee discount and we can watch movies all summer for cheap."

"I'm not gonna have time to watch that many movies, though," Sora replied, licking barbecue sauce from his fingers. "I have to make a lot of money this summer. When I asked mom and dad if they'd pay for part of my laptop, they just started laughing."

Axel snorted. "So? You don't have to watch the movies, me and Rox can take care of that. You just have to get the discount," he explained, grinning at the sarcastic laugh he got from Sora.

"I was thinking of working at that one bookstore, you know? The one on, um… on…" Sora trailed off, staring past Zexion as he tried to remember the street name.

"You can read?"

Roxas's drawled comment earned him a heavy smack upside the head from Leon, who was attempting to comfort a now-sulking Sora.

Said sulker let out an exaggerated sigh, gesturing to Zexion's hamburger as he spoke. "I could always work at Burger King or something. I bet I could get hired there. I mean, I'm cheerful and stuff…"

Leon shook his head. "Sora, one of my English teachers in high school used to attach Burger King applications to failed tests. Plus, think of the ugly hat you'd have to wear. Why don't you work at that basketball camp? The one Riku worked for, remember? You're good at basketball, and you could easily coach a bunch of 10 year olds."

Sora's eyes widened in fear. "I'm afraid I'd lose one or something! Knowing me," he grumbled, rolling his eyes. "Speaking of Riku, do you know where he went? He was really quiet earlier… I hope he's ok."

"I think he's in the gym? Maybe?" Leon replied, leaning back on his elbows as he finished his food. "I was talking to Cloud a little while ago and he came over asking for keys to get inside, said he left some stuff in his gym locker and he wanted to grab it now so he doesn't have to come back later."

Axel grimaced, his knees cracking as he stood up. "I can go see if he's in there. I was gonna run to the bathroom really quick anyway, so I'll just check the gym on the way back."

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Riku was silent, staring at the thin, periwinkle blue gym uniform in his hands as if it were an old friend. The locker room around him was dim; the energy-saver light bulbs in the overhead lights took a few minutes to get to full brightness, and for the first time he could remember, he'd actually had to turn the lights on when he'd entered the room.

Without the usual teeming mass of bodies, the locker room seemed a lot bigger than he'd remembered, and he'd been taken aback by the way his footsteps echoed in the absence of the usual deafening roar of voices and laughter.

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Axel whistled a little as he left the bathroom, wiping his hands on his jeans. He was too lazy to use the noisy hand dryer, and the school no longer had paper towels in the bathrooms in an attempt to be good to the environment. The student body could be sorted into 3 groups depending on their reactions to the lack of paper towels. One group just stopped washing their hands altogether, another group walked around with big wet handprints on their jeans where they'd dried their hands, and a small but strangely enthusiastic group actually used the dryers.

Either way, Axel was whistling, and he felt oddly at home trudging through the empty hallways, his shoes occasionally squeaking on the linoleum floor. He had the urge to do a cartwheel or scream profanities or do something else usually frowned upon in the hallways, but then again, he was never one for talking when he was alone; he always felt weird about it and kind of inexplicably embarrassed.

_Huh…_

He had never noticed that there were actually signs on the corners with arrows and directions. He had never noticed that the trash cans said Trash Receptacle on them.

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Riku flipped the lights off as he stepped out of the locker room into the gym. Fumbling with Cloud's keys (there were so damn many, how did the guy remember which was which?), he managed to let both his gym shorts and his deodorant slip from his arms as he locked the door.

Bending down to pick them up, a dark mark on the otherwise wooden gym floor caught his eye, and he couldn't help but smile as he ran his fingers over the scribbled pen marks.

It had been his and Sora's freshman year, and they'd been sitting there on the sidelines waiting to be called out for volleyball or something. Riku couldn't remember exactly what they'd been doing that day in class; they hadn't been paying attention anyway. It had started innocently enough – Riku had been teasing Sora about something (_What was it I said? It was… it was… you look like a hockey puck. Oh, right, we were playing hockey that day. You look like a hockey puck.), _and the brunet had written a tiny 'Riku sucks!' on the floor in retaliation, to be preserved forevermore. Unfortunately, Riku had fought back in writing, crossing out 'Riku' to write 'Sora' and adding 'donkey cock' to the end of the sentence. Before either of them knew it, it was out of control, and it had escalated to a full out picture war, with tiny donkey cocks and spiky-haired boys wearing dresses. When Cloud had noticed, he'd been furious, but since he couldn't find any cleaner, he'd just had them scribble over the whole thing, claiming it was inappropriate and giving them both detention.

Riku leaned back against the wall as he remembered; fighting an odd sensation behind his eyes as he pictured angry Cloud (the man looked exactly the same as he had 3 years ago). Sora had been so apologetic, he'd practically cried, and Riku had just been embarrassed at their pictures. He remembered Sora slapping him after class and blaming it all on him… Sora had still had braces then. They'd been red and green for Christmas then; he liked to get the colors changed for whatever holiday was coming up.

He thought of Sora then, with his fluorescent colored braces and his disheveled chocolate spikes, the way his voice used to crack mid-word and how he'd have to clear his throat to get it to go down again. The memories were flooding back now, an unstoppable force inside his head – Sora running down the basketball court, his lean, lanky 14-year-old self; Sora trying to hide his tears as he got to his feet on the gym floor, his fingernail bleeding where it'd been bent back when he tripped and fell; Sora, taller and more filled out, dragging him into the locker room to show him a picture he'd drawn in art class that was in his backpack; dragging him down the street downtown to see the big Christmas display windows; dragging him into bed, his hair mildly tamed, his braces gone, definitely gone, nothing but smooth, slick teeth and slippery spit and tongue, that tongue he'd seemed to know how to use the second he'd started to use it; Sora dropping his diploma off the stage, the same bright blush in those cheeks that he got when Riku would come up behind him, whispering the next number on Axel's list to check off.

Sora had changed so much. Everyone had, hadn't they?

"There you are! Jeez, I almost didn't see you there."

Riku started as he heard Axel's voice beside him. He hadn't heard the redhead walk into the gym, and he turned to look up at him, attempting a smile.

"Hey."

He wondered idly why the taller boy looked so concerned as he took a seat beside him against the wall.

"Are you okay?"

"Why wouldn't I be?"

Axel raised his eyebrows and shrugged. "I dunno, 'cause you're crying? And like, you _never_ cry?"

Riku's hand went instinctively to his face, brushing away the wetness he found on his cheeks. "I didn't even notice… Wow. Sorry," he mumbled, looking away. "I'm not really like that. I mean, I'm…"

"You're…?"

Riku sighed. "I'm gonna miss this place," he said, picking his gym shorts off the floor and re-folding them as he spoke. "I guess. I guess that's it. Not the place, so much, but… I dunno, I spent the past 4 years waiting to get out of here, and now it just seems so sudden, you know?"

Axel nodded, staying quiet where he sat as the other boy sighed again.

"It's like… where did those 4 years go? Everyone's so different, and I know I was there when we were all changing, but it's like- it's like I blinked and we all morphed into graduates, you know? Like, we were freshman and now we're just suddenly done. And-and at the same time, it's like, this is my school. I'm sitting here in this gym, and it's all familiar, I know where everything is in the school, but now I-I don't go here anymore, it just feels weird to think that I'm not a student here anymore. It's like the time went by so fast but, like… I mean… It's like the time went by really fast now, looking back, but I still feel like I've spent the majority of 4 years of my life in this place. Do you know what I mean? I guess, I mean, I'm not really articulating this very well. Never mind."

"No, I think I understand. This place gets to feeling like home every once in a while. It would be weird to leave. And I imagine it's kind of like, well, have you ever gone back to visit your old middle school or junior high?"

Riku nodded, fiddling with the cap on his deodorant. "Sora made me go with him a couple times. Everything seems… smaller. I dunno, it's just… it's just…"

"Yea."

"Yea."

Both boys were silent for a moment, Riku wiping his eyes again.

After a few minutes, Axel grinned, looking up. "Hey, if it makes you feel any better, think of how fucked up it's gonna feel for me when I finally get out of here. I'm gonna be a 6th year senior, you know that?"

Riku snorted. "Jesus, I didn't even know they let people do that."

"It's my dashing good looks and boyish charm. They just can't deny me my 6th year…"

"Yea, boyish charm, sure…"

They both laughed, quietly but honestly, and Axel shifted his position to lie down on his back in front of the other boy, tugging idly at Riku's shoelaces until both had untied.

Riku blinked. "Thanks."

"Anytime."

Axel stretched his arms before folding them behind his head, forming a makeshift pillow with his hands and closing his eyes. "It's deceptively cool outside," he said, settling down a little. "There's this little breeze out there, so you think it's like, 70 degrees or so, but once the breeze isn't blowing, it's like… it feels like a summer night. The heat makes you sleepy."

Riku nodded, despite the fact that Axel's closed eyes meant he couldn't see the nod. He studied the redhead, lying so comfortably on the gym floor, his eyes closed and his t-shirt pulled up a bit by his arms. He poked at the bare strip of Axel's side with his foot, giving him a stern look when he opened his eyes.

"Exposed midriff," he said gravely, shaking his head. "You know, that's a violation of school dress code."

Axel snorted, tugging his shirt up even more. "Ha! Take that, administration..." He trailed off, making vague victorious gestures as he closed his eyes again. "I am stickin' it to the man, baring my sexy, sexy midriff for all to see…"

"I dunno, Axel, that's pretty risky. I mean, if a school administrator were to walk in right now, you'd definitely be in violation," Riku replied, his mock serious tone holding up well.

"Yea, and what are they gonna do about it?" he murmured, resting one hand on his stomach. "Kick me out?"

"Mmm… they could. I mean, it's a pretty serious offense, exposed midriff. On par with, I dunno, damaging school property, coming to class drunk, smoking cigarettes in the hallways… I think it would definitely be grounds for expulsion."

Axel grinned, his eyes still closed. "I'd like to see them try. Speaking of cigarettes…" He opened his eyes briefly to pull his lighter and the same slightly bent cigarette from his back pocket. "Don't tell Rox, ok? He gets all disappointed and sad, and it kills me, but I'm about to fucking scratch my own eyes out if I can't have one. This'll be the first one in 2 days."

"If you smoke one, you're gonna want another. I thought you were trying to quit. They say going cold turkey is the best way to quit."

"I know, I know it is, believe me, I'm sure it's true," Axel groaned, banging his head back against the floor. He paused. "I won't smoke the whole thing. Just half. Ok? You can take it and put it out after half."

"You know, they say every cigarette you smoke takes a minute off your life."

"You are pulling that out your ass, you know that? You're fucking making that up!"

"Nope. I heard it on the radio."

"Oh, yea, you _heard it on the radio_," Axel repeated sarcastically, glaring exaggeratedly at Riku as he sat up and attempting to ignore the other boy's laughter. "You heard it on the _radio_, so it _must_ be true."

"Hey, I'm just saying. This shit is horrible for you. You know it, you know it, don't look at me like that, you know it's true!"

Axel made a loud frustrated noise, looking pointedly away from Riku, then looked back up. "One drag."

"Just one?"

"Just one. A good one. You have to give me a second to get it burning, and then… one. And then you take it, and you put it out and rip it up and throw it away."

Riku nodded. "Fine. If you're sure. You're gonna regret it, though."

"I don't care," Axel muttered, placing the cigarette in his mouth and getting his lighter in hand.

"Aaaand, he's lighting it… he's… trying to light it, he is… is it lit? Are we good? Yes, folks, the cigarette is definitely lit, annnnnd he is glaring, he hesitates… the anticipation is killing me… he's inhaling, yes, folks, we _have an inhale_, and a long one, at that… and…"

A drawn-out sigh of pleasure and relief escaped Axel's lips as he exhaled a large plume of smoke straight up toward the ceiling, then a plaintive cry of protest as the other boy plucked the cigarette from his fingers, dashing out into the warm spring evening with his gym uniform in hand as well.

Groaning as he tried to get up off the ground, Axel managed to stagger out the door into the heat after his friend, and he watched in dismay as Riku ground the cigarette into the grass with his foot.

"No… you… I don't have any more… no…"

Riku shrugged, a wide grin gracing his features. "A deal's a deal."

He opened his mouth to say more, but a waving figure in the distance caught his eye, and he and Axel both turned to see Sora waving them over from across the field. He was shouting something, but they couldn't hear what. As Riku took a step, he felt a hand on his arm, and he looked up to see Axel's familiar smirk.

"Your face is still wet," he said quietly, looking away when Riku turned red. "Just, um… in case you didn't want Sora to see."

"Yea," Riku replied, pulling his sleeves over his hands to dry his cheeks and eyes. "Thanks. Don't, um… let's just… let's just keep this one quiet, ok?"

"Keep what quiet?" Axel asked, raising his eyebrows as his smirk grew.

Riku shot him a glare as he rolled his sleeves up to hide the wetness. "The crying part," he said, grimacing as he considered the childish habit.

"I dunno what you're talking about," Axel said, letting out a mischievous cackle and striding away towards the others. Looking over his shoulder at Riku, he repeated himself. "I dunno what you could possibly mean. Riku never cries."

Shaking his head, Riku headed off behind him, not particularly listening as the redhead rambled on ("Now, you listen! There are things in this world that just don't happen, and Riku does _not_ cry. It just doesn't happen! It's just not _possible_! I-I don't know where you're picking up these ridiculous ideas!"), but instead simply watching Sora, who was jumping up and down now, and Axel's arms waving about as he spoke, and Roxas playing catch with Cloud, his blonde hair reddish in the sunset as he threw his head back, laughing at something the other man had said.

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AN: I hope you guys liked this one! So... the next chapter is the last one. I'm sad, but also excited. I need to buy some root beer, so I can make that float... Also, for those of you who have been asking about songs, I'll have a list of songs that have been in here at the end of the story, so that should clear up any questions. Also, if you find yourself with free time (ha ha, free time, what a novel concept...), check out Flyff (Fly For Fun), which is an awesome MMORPG you can download and play for free... if you decide to check it out, let me know and I'll help you level... XD (Yes, that was unrelated..)  
So once again, I'm so sorry it took so long to get this chapter out, and I hope you guys liked it! The next chapter should be up pretty soon (Again, I can't promise a week due to finals and a class trip coming up, but it will be soon)! Thanks so much for reading, and please leave a review to let me know what you thought!


	29. Life's A Tease, You Know That?

**AN: Wow.** First off, let me apologize for taking literally two months with this. A lot has gone on that's made it exceedingly difficult to finally get this chapter fully written (including the demise of my beloved laptop, which should have a cliche, quirky nickname, but doesn't). As usual, **thank you all so much for the reviews**, **favs, alerts, as well as the PM's I've recieved between the posting of the last chapter and this one. If I didn't manage to reply to yours, I apologize, and feel free to send me a PM if you had a question you wanted answered that I missed. XP  
**A couple of things I've been asked about - links to fanart will be up on my profile. If you have a question about anything that you have asked me before and I did not respond, please send me a PM asking again - there was a massive pileup of things I needed to answer that got DELETED by my email, so if you're still wondering about something, (such as song titles or artists, which I distinctly remember having a number of questions about) don't worry about asking twice, it's all good.  
And guys, it's been a long ride, I've been working on this since August 2006 and it's now March 2007. Thank you so much for bearing with me and reading, it really means more to me than you'll ever know. To everyone who has reviewed, faved, alerted, or just plain read this story: thank you. To anyone who's drawn fanart or dedicated a fanfiction, thank you. And to those of you about to read this chapter, to any of you who do any of the aforementioned, er, things, (XD) **thank you**!  
Without any further ado (I daresay that was enough ado XP), Chapter 29.

* * *

Roxas let out a long sigh, attempting to catch his breath as he toppled into the surprisingly scratchy grass, having just missed the Frisbee thrown in his direction. He could hear Demyx shouting something out at him, Sora laughing in response, and beyond that, the river flowing ceaselessly somewhere off to his left. He spread his arms out across the grass; even the ground beneath him felt warm, the late August sun still hot enough to drench their town in sweet summer heat. Staring straight up at the cloudless sky, his friends' voices ringing out through the air around him, he thought he might like to stay in that moment forever. 

Then again, he thought, maybe not. Everything was great – perfect, really, save for the unstoppable feeling of uncertainty, a sort of bittersweet emotion he had been shoving to the back of his mind for the past week and a half.

Sora and Riku had already packed all their belongings. He'd pointedly avoided looking at the disorganized mess in Sora's room for the past few days when he'd walked by, unwilling to think about how boring home would be without Leon _or_ Sora around. It had been different when Leon had left; easier somehow, for Roxas anyway. The age gap between the two had kept them from getting particularly close when he was younger – Leon was way ahead of both him and Sora, and it wasn't until the two younger brothers had been well into high school that they'd really been able to relate to Leon at all.

_Plus, I still had Sora. The house is gonna be so… quiet._

Despite their closeness in age, Roxas and Sora hadn't really shared any interests, and for years they hadn't been particularly close either, sharing sibling moments and liking each other just fine, but not really having much to do with each other. Over the past school year though, they'd grown infinitely closer, and Roxas had been almost surprised when he'd finally realized he thought of Sora as a friend.

_We actually just hung out together this year. We went to movies together, and I can swear around him and make jokes and act like myself, instead of that sort of polite, acquaintance-ish relationship we used to have, with the occasional real conversation at some family gathering or something. _

And not only that, he thought sharply, almost as if he was arguing with himself, but Sora had really _been there _for him when he needed him, none of this fair-weather friend business. Sora was the one to suggest that they all clean up Axel's place when Roxas had been prepared to spend a miserable Christmas afternoon there himself. Sora was the one who he'd made that deal with in the first place at the beginning of the school year, the one who'd given him enough reassurance to even consider confessing his feelings to Axel. And who had been there for him when he'd broken up with Axel? Who had listened to him vent angrily, had coaxed him away from his nest of Axel memories in his room – for God's sake, who had freaking _held him_ while he tried to hide his tears that evening, and put up with the livid, miserable, _needy_ blond for an entire restless night?

_And who,_ Roxas thought, feeling vaguely defeated as he studied a single fluffy cloud, _Who's leaving today in just a few hours? Who won't be around to make quesadillas at 3 in the morning because we both just happened to be awake? Who won't take so damn long in the shower in the morning, and who won't be driving with me to school, belting out whatever song comes on the radio? And… being there when I have to bitch and moan about Ax being late to pick me up **again**, and- and crashing, drunk, into the house late at night with Riku in tow, and having noisy karaoke sessions with Zexion when they have their weekend-long baking marathons. Who the hell is going to make cookies? _

Picking at the grass by his hand, he surfaced again from his thoughts, blinking a few times and idly wondering if he'd still have a tan when school started in a couple of weeks.

_It's only a few more hours before they're leaving, and then I won't see Sora or Riku until Thanksgiving, unless they come home for a weekend. I feel like I should be doing something special now, like we should be doing something, anything different, but at the same time, I like this. I like that we can all just hang out, just one more time before everything really changes. And, while unrelated, I'm glad the river's clean enough to swim in, because it's really damn hot out, and it'll be nice to get in the water after a little while._

A large shadow moved over his view, and a moment later, Axel was standing over him, a quizzical look on his face as he stepped over the blond's body. He leaned down a little, one foot planted on either side of Roxas before giving up and sitting down on the smaller boy's chest, kicking his flip-flops off into the grass and poking the blond in the forehead with an emphatic "you!"

"Mm?"

"You," Axel said again, leaning back nonchalantly on Roxas's bent knees, "Have been lying here for a good 10 minutes, not moving. The general consensus was that you died, but I wanted to make sure, you know, so I can get a new sex slave."

Roxas snorted, toying with a blade of grass he'd mercilessly ripped from the ground beside his head.

"Just relaxing," he said slowly, sitting up and attempting to brush the grass off of his shirt as Axel climbed off of him. "You smell good," he added, having caught a whiff of Axel's usual Old Spice in the rush of air his movement had caused. He imagined the heat made the scent stronger; either that or Axel had a lot on.

"Eh, I'm kinda sweaty," Axel admitted, wrinkling his nose as he settled into a comfortable sitting position beside Roxas. He watched with interest as Roxas shrugged, then picked a piece of grass he'd missed from the blond's shoulder. "You sure you're ok? You're awful quiet for someone who's just relaxing."

Roxas simply shrugged again, watching Riku dive to catch a pass blown off its path by the gentle breeze. He missed it by what looked like mere inches from far away, and Roxas could hear the dull thud as the Frisbee hit a tree instead. Zexion's tinkling laugh carried over, and Roxas realized as he studied the slight boy that it was the first time he'd ever seen his bare legs – Zexion hadn't worn shorts all summer until today, and he'd chosen a loose, gray tank top to wear on top.

"Hey."

Turning to Axel, he raised his eyebrows. The redhead looked openly concerned now, and he nudged Roxas's arm a bit as he spoke.

"What's going on? You sure you're ok?"

Roxas nodded, leaning into the nudge and feeling a bit needy all of a sudden. "Yea, I'm just, you know, having an end-of-summer moment."

"Ah. Yea, I've been trying to avoid those, but they keep popping up when I least expect it. I… it's why I haven't really talked to Demyx, you know, about… this coming year."

Axel looked uncomfortably down at his feet, having finally admitted to the denial he'd been in. Throughout the summer, Demyx had made numerous attempts to tell Axel about his plans for the coming year, but the redhead had refused to hear any of it, cutting him off mid-sentence or simply stalking out of the room. Demyx had finally given up, a little dejected, and the summer had passed without any real mention of his plans, but Axel was aware that he'd have to talk to him sometime, and he had the sinking feeling that that time was going to be sometime in the next few hours, before Sora and Riku had to go. Demyx would be leaving around the same time; he was giving Zexion a ride to a restaurant downtown for coffee with his roommate (Zexion would be attending a prestigious art school in the city, only about a 20 minute drive from where they all lived).

Roxas made a noise of assent, watching the others continuing their game of Frisbee. "You know, you should really talk to him. It's not what you're expecting, I can guarantee it."

"You don't know what I'm expecting. Hell, _I_ don't know what I'm expecting. Maybe it's _exactly_ what I'm expecting."

"Yea, I know what you're expecting."

"Yea? What? What am I expecting?"

Roxas sighed, smiling a little at Axel's indignation. "You're _expecting_ him to run off and leave you in the dust and forget about you because he's too busy being a sophisticated adult to think about his old buddy Axel back home."

Axel was silent for a moment before speaking. "Yea. I guess. I mean, I… yea."

"I'm telling you," Roxas said lightly, his eyes moving now to Demyx, who had rolled up his jeans to his knees to stay cooler. "You should talk to him. It's really not what you think. And honestly, I hope you don't really think he could forget about you. Sometimes I think you forget that he needs you just as much as you need him."

"I don't _need_ him," Axel said defensively, picking at the grass as well. "I mean, I don't need him to be around all the time. I'd be okay without him here."

"You're only saying that because you think you have to," Roxas replied, shooting him a knowing look before leaving a light kiss on one of the redhead's sun-kissed cheeks.

Axel narrowed his eyes, a curious look overtaking his features. "What's that supposed to mean? 'Because I _think_ I have to…' What, is he staying here? I mean, he's going to college, right? He's the smartest guy I've ever met."

Roxas simply grinned and shrugged. "It's not my information to tell."

"Man, fuck you!"

"Later, if you want. We should do it outside, I bet it'll still be pretty nice out once the sun starts to go down."

Axel simply laughed in response, leaning over to kiss the other boy. He had the impulse to pull him into his lap as well, but decided it was too hot out, and he'd rather just sit side by side, watching the breeze gently teasing messy, almost platinum-blond bangs across that summer-tanned forehead. Roxas had worked a part-time job at an outdoor coffee stand for the summer, and the constant sunshine had bleached out his hair even more than it had in previous years.

Lying back, Roxas closed his eyes and reveled in the sunshine, smiling as he felt Axel's head come to rest on his stomach.

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"It's almost three…."

Sora was unsurprised to hear Riku's murmur in his ear; the older boy had been almost obsessively checking his watch the entire day, obviously anxious. Instead of responding, Sora simply stretched his legs out a little more, letting his feet rest in the cool river water. Their game of Frisbee had ended long ago, and having completely exhausted themselves, they had opted to sit in the shade by the river for a while. Demyx had managed to drag Zexion into the water, and Sora was enjoying watching the two of them splashing around. A few yards further downstream, Roxas was attempting to coax Axel off of his sunny rock and into the water, too, but the redhead would have none of it.

"Sora."

"Yea?"

"It's almost three o'clock."

Sora finally looked up, splashing his toes in the water a little. "I know, I heard you."

"Oh…"

Riku sighed, watching Roxas splashing water up at Axel. The redhead threw small rocks in retaliation, and Roxas ducked as one almost hit his head, grinning as Zexion joined him in his quest to get Axel wet. Sora was now digging his feet into the soft, gravelly riverbed, then pulling them back out and watching the sediment pour through his toes. Riku blinked and checked his watch again.

"2:58," he said slowly, mid-sigh again when he felt Sora's hand clamping around his arm and unfastening his watch. "What are you doing? Stop it, that's my-"

"I'll give it back to you later," Sora replied lightly, slipping the watch into his pocket. "You need to relax. Seriously, if you keep freaking out like this it's gonna get me all freaked out too, and-and then neither of us will be good drivers and we'll get in car crashes and die on our way to college!"

"No one's getting in a car crash, I just want to know what time it is-"

"Why?" Sora asked fiercely, digging his foot ferociously into the sand.

"We have to leave pretty soon. I don't want our parents to get pissed off."

"They're not going to be mad if we stay out here a little longer. We're only driving to Columbia tonight anyway, Riku, we could leave at 8 and still make it there before midnight. They don't care when we leave."

Riku was silent, staring at the sand rolling off of Sora's foot. The leaves above him rustled in the breeze, and if he looked up, he could see Demyx hanging up his, Zexion's, and Roxas's shirts in the branches of the tree to dry. Axel appeared to be making a daisy chain.

"I've been so ready for this for so long," Riku said quietly, attempting to pick up a shiny rock with his toes. Smiling, he turned to Sora. "So, aren't you excited? I feel like I could drive all night without stopping in Columbia, you know? I want to- I want to see where we're gonna live, and put all our stuff in the room and get everything all set up. I want to push the beds together once our parents leave and put up posters and-and order Chinese food or something. And meet all the other people in the dorm, and… you know. Do stuff."

Sora nodded, then grinned and looked away, blushing. "I, um, I made sheets. That'll fit the extra long beds when they're pushed together, because… well, because it just seemed like we might need them."

"Yea? That's great, I didn't think of that. I just… I can't wait, you know? It's not that this isn't great too, but I mean, I just… I want to be there already."

"There's time for everything," Sora replied, scooting a little closer. "Once we're there, we'll be there for a while. Right now… right now, this is the time to just be here a little longer. Look," he commanded, pointing at Demyx in the river. "You want to leave now, but once we've been there a few weeks, you're gonna miss him. And Zexion, and Axel, and… Rox. So while we still have time, just… soak them up. Be a- be a sponge."

"A sponge?"

"A sponge. Soak up everyone's… presence. And then when we're away from here, and we miss them, we can squeeze our metaphorical sponges and-and not miss them so bad!"

"Huh…"

Riku sat back, resting his weight on his hands, and tried to focus on being a sponge.

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Axel was careful to avoid the drips of water as Demyx clambered up onto his rock beside him.

"Hey."

Demyx pushed his wet hair back out of his face, laughing a little as Axel shrank away from his dripping arms. "Warm up here, huh?" he observed, purposefully slinging a soaking wet leg across the redhead's lap and laughing again at the cry of protest he received. Removing his leg from Axel's body, he let out a long breath and hesitated before speaking again. "Rox said you wanted to talk to me?"

Axel sighed, studying his feet. "Yea? I guess. If you want. I mean, it's not like there's much to say. You're going off to have the rest of your life somewhere, and I'm staying here. That's all. And I mean, it's not like I can't handle it or something. I'll be fine. I'm happy for you. Go, by all means, the world is your oyster, or some… or some shit like that…"

A small smile was creeping its way across Demyx's face as he watched the redhead rant. Curling his toes a bit, he leaned back nonchalantly. "Well, don't you want to know where I'm going?"

Axel swallowed, eyes glued to his knees. "Yea."

"Well… I got accepted into this awesome program in Spain, where you learn about, um, about Early Childhood Education, um, specifically in terms of music, and integrating the arts into their program. For the kids, that is. It's really innovative."

At the word "Spain", Axel's head shot up. He swallowed again, studying Demyx's smiling face, and tried to say something, anything, to no avail.

"It's really a once in a lifetime opportunity. The only downside is that in order to get the full scholarship they've offered me, I have to stay in Spain for the full four years, nonstop. As in, I can't come home for any breaks or anything."

Axel wheezed a little, unable to make any real words come out of his mouth. "I…. Uhh…"

"Are you ok?"

"I, um, that's great, Dem. That sounds… that sounds really, really… really… um… I'm… happy for you…" he choked out, unable to comprehend the idea of four Demyx-less years.

Axel was aware that Demyx was now staring at him, and a loaded silence ensued for a moment before Demyx snorted, watching Axel's forced smile crack. "God, you're gullible! I can't believe you fell for that! You seriously think I'd go to Spain for four years? I'd miss you way too much, babe! I would call you, like, sobbing, every night. No, no, I'd call _Zexion _sobbing, because I wouldn't want you to know I wasn't happy."

"What? You're not- son of a bitch!"

Axel couldn't help but laugh in relief as he pushed Demyx off the rock, pretending to be angry. He kicked the blond's hands away as he attempted to climb back up, not bothering to hide his grin anymore. "No! Hell no! You're no longer welcome on my rock, not after that! You're a complete dick, you know that? Get the hell away from my rock!"

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, oh god, you should have seen your face…"

After a few more apologies, Axel allowed Demyx to pull himself up onto the rock, feeling vaguely nervous again as the blond prepared to speak.

"Alright, alright, ok. You wanna know what I'm actually doing?"

"I swear to God, if you pull anything this time…"

Demyx laughed, shaking his hair from his eyes once more. "Nah, that'd be too mean. Oh man, you're gonna love this."

Intrigued, Axel looked up. "Well, come on, are you gonna tell me or should I push you off again?"

"No no no, don't push me off again. Alright. Ok. So, first of all, I'm not going to college. Well, ok, this is where it gets complicated. Basically, the people over at Kennedy told me they wanted to hire me on full-time, like, as staff at the school. I tutor a fair number of kids over there, and they all kept begging me not to leave, but they grudgingly understood that I had to, you know, get a job or go to college or _something_. Apparently though, they all got together and started putting pressure on everyone in the SSC, err, the Student Support Center, which has this whole department of-of people within the school, and so they all had a meeting – the staff, not the kids, that is… Um, long story short, they said they'd hire me full time, and they'd pay for me to take some classes over at State, especially over the summers, and by the end of four years, they arranged it so I can have a degree in Bilingual Education. So that's… that's what I'm gonna be doing."

"Damn! Really?"

Demyx nodded, his smile growing with Axel's enthusiasm.

"And if you're working at Kennedy, then you don't… you don't even have to leave. At all. I mean, you're still going to be here!"

"I knew you'd like it," he said, nodding again. "It means I can stay with Zexion, too, which is great. I'm actually, well, I have to give Zexion a ride to meet up with his roommate, but right after that, I'm gonna be moving the bulk of my stuff to um, to my new place. I found an apartment that's like, a 10 minute walk from the school, so it's really, it's been turning out really well. Everything has."

"Jeez. Wow. Congratulations, man!"

Demyx simply grinned in response, resting his elbows on his knees and tugging idly at the hemp "friendship" bracelet Zexion had made for him over the summer. After a few moments of satisfied, comfortable silence, he looked up at Axel again, giving him a playful shove as he spoke.

"You really think I'd just _leave_ like that?" he asked, dodging Axel's counterattack and scooting closer instead, close enough for their knees to knock together as he swung his legs back and forth off the side of the rock.

"Well, maybe if you hadn't looked so damn serious about it!"

"I was _obviously_ joking!"

"Obvious my ass, you fucking _planned _that, with your little details about some innovative program…"

"Hey, I made that up on the spot! Jeez, if I'd been planning it, I'd plan something a little bit more plausible!"

Axel didn't even bother to fight back with words, choosing instead to simply lean against the blond's shoulder, nuzzling his neck and mischievously nipping his ear, enjoying the small yelp of surprise and the resulting kiss on the cheek.

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_"Does it bother you?"_

Roxas let his eyes un-focus a little, his blurred gaze positioned vaguely in Demyx and Axel's direction. He could tell that Demyx had told Axel the news; the two were grinning in the dappled sunlight shining through the leaves, and even from far away, he could see their arms and fingers intertwining, gently touching and reassuring each other. He could remember when he hadn't understood them, memories of the jealousy Demyx's roving hands had inspired in him, the way his chest would get tight every time Axel would kiss the other blond's cheek. It was unavoidable, too. The two would exchange light butterfly kisses at every opportunity, it seemed: greeting each other, saying goodbye, after one of them had made a particularly funny joke – anything was liable to prompt their easy, gentle shows of affection, and it had been absolutely infuriating to Roxas until sometime around when he'd gotten that nasty flu bug in the winter.

_"Uh… Roxas?"_

He'd sort of understood it after his conversation with Axel on Christmas, but the redhead's explanation of his deepest, longest friendship could really only go so far. The way the two interacted defied verbal explanation. You could try to capture it with complicated descriptions and metaphors, but Roxas had, in the end, had to come to understand it himself. It had been a slow process – watching the two together, listening to the ease with which they communicated, learning the stories that comprised the most memorable parts of their history. He'd looked at his own memories, then tried to apply the feelings he'd had to different experiences – Axel's experiences. He could remember the first time he and Namine stayed up all night, that magical feeling of being 13 years old and eating ice cream at four in the morning, _four o'clock in the morning_! He remembered the feeling and imagined the nights Axel and Demyx had spent, curled up in Axel's big quilt as the redhead quaked and shook in Demyx's arms, terrified of whatever misfortune he imaged he would have encountered alone before his friend's arrival. The time he'd made Namine a get-well card when she got Strep Throat in third grade translated to the time Demyx had told him about when Axel had tried to fashion a band-aid big enough for a scrape the blond had by sticking a number of smaller ones together in a complicated, interlocking design.

_"Roxas? Hello?"_

He could remember the way he'd looked away from Namine's tear-streaked face as he handed her his sweatshirt at school, desperately wishing to end her humiliation as she'd tied it around her waist to hide the bright red stain on the back of her new jeans, and the silent agreement never to talk about it. Axel had told him, once, as he spread peanut butter over bread for sandwiches, about a time in Jr. High when he'd woken up with Demyx still asleep beside him. He'd gone to shower, and when he was done, he'd stepped into the kitchen in his towel to find Demyx sobbing in Steph's arms, begging her not to make him attend school with matching black eyes that had bloomed the night before beneath 30-year-old fists. When Axel had come home from school that day, he'd simply joined Demyx in his room, where the blond had spent the day doing schoolwork with a bag of frozen peas resting on his swollen wrist and soothing aloe smeared around his eyes.

_"…Um…Rox?"_

The way their friendship had developed, Roxas eventually concluded, it was no surprise that their interactions were so physical. What it really came down to was the thought that all people need to be touched, an idea that Roxas had contemplated for hours on end, and tried to postulate about with Axel on the night they'd gotten back together. The contact that Demyx had received largely consisted of being beat up, so it was only natural that he would gravitate to, and crave, Axel's caring embrace. On the other side, Axel's anxiety over being alone could easily be mollified by Demyx's compassionate touch, the feeling of his friend physically alongside him calming his panicked psyche. A touch between the two was healing for both parties, and over time, they developed a profound need for each other.

And while Roxas had initially found it all the more intimidating that the two had shared all their first sexual experiences –that their relationship had expanded to include that- he was almost comforted by it now. It was inevitable, as the boys reached puberty, for them to want to push the limits and boundaries associated with touching another person, specifically, each other; to make each other feel _good_. For Axel, to see how far he could get from being alone; to not just be close to another, but to be _inside_ another person, and for Demyx, to be fully, completely vulnerable, to let another in, and not be hurt. They'd had their phase of exploration, but they'd ultimately chosen to remain in a, for the most part, nonsexual relationship, their friendship more like that of brothers than lovers. At a certain point, Roxas had realized that because they'd already gotten past that phase, he would never have to worry about Demyx seducing Axel – their inevitable sexual relationship had already dissipated, and even while it had lasted, it had been more about finding the right way to communicate their feelings to each other and to themselves than any particular attraction.

_"…?"_

When all the observations, theories, jealousy, information, _everything_ had finally converged in Roxas's mind, he'd actually stopped in his tracks, the sudden clarity sinking in as he stood on the sidewalk downtown, other pedestrians pushing past him. The first thing he saw when he looked up was the bright pink neon sign for Lola's, a shop famous for its 18+ section in the back. Blinking, he'd watched as a girl with a green mohawk exited the store, a small, pink bag in her hand.

The man behind the counter hadn't been shy at all, and Roxas could remember how his face had burned bright red as he'd slipped the little bottle into his backpack, assuring the man that it was really okay, he didn't need a bag, and God, had the guy taken _long enough_ to get him his change? The girl behind him in line had given him a saucy wink on his way out of the store, and as soon as he'd gotten back to his room at home, he'd pushed the bottle to the back of the drawer in his nightstand. The next day, he'd started to come down with a cold, and by the end of the week, he'd been sure he had the flu, the bottle laying, as if waiting, in the back of his drawer as he sipped the chicken soup Axel had made for him, the redhead unknowingly working through math problems beside him.

"_Are you ok? Hello?"_

"_Roxas."_

"Roxas!"

Feeling a sharp jab in his arm, Roxas blinked and ripped his eyes away from the two boys on the rock. Zexion was beside him, looking at him as though he were insane.

"What? Sorry, I wasn't paying attention."

"Yea, no kidding, I thought you were in a coma or something," Zexion remarked, laughing a little as Roxas feigned a comatose expression. Nodding towards Axel and Demyx, he looked a little embarrassed. "I just, well… I just asked if it ever bothers you, you know?"

"What, the touching?"

When Zexion nodded, Roxas smiled, watching Axel arranging Demyx's wet hair into large spikes. "It used to," he said eventually, turning back to Zexion, who watched the same scene with a look of dismay.

"I guess you just get used to it after a while," he added, knowing there was no way to explain what had taken him months to comprehend. "Try not to let it bother you too much. If Demyx means enough to you… talk to them, both of them. Just watch them for a while. I can promise you, there's nothing… romantic going on between them."

"Oh, I know it's not _romantic_, it's just…" Zexion trailed off with a sigh. "I just wish…"

"That they'd stop?" Roxas guessed, finishing the other boy's sentence for him. After receiving another nod in response, he smiled again, recognizing his exact sentiment from a few months ago in Zexion's face. "I did too. But when you really think about it, Demyx and Axel without their little ritualistic cuddles would be… unnatural."

Zexion made a vague noise of grudging agreement, and they both turned back to watch the others again; each fascinated, but for different reasons.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Axel looked down again at his feet, examining the small blister his flip-flops had given him and wondering why this had to be so weird. He could feel Roxas beside him; they weren't touching, but he could _feel _how close the boy was, the slight trembling in his posture and the uneasiness in the air as they stood around on the sidewalk by Sora's car. The sun was beginning to set, and if he turned his head a little it was almost blinding. Thus, he couldn't really look at Demyx or Zexion without squinting, since they were standing in that direction, and when he looked up at Sora and Riku, the two leaning awkwardly against the dirty, silver car, they looked like something out of a photograph, all rosy hues and golden light and summer.

_That's what it is. Summer. Summer dripping off their hair and down their shoulders, summer seeping out of every pore, evaporating from the tips of their fingers, blowing away in the breeze or maybe just- maybe just flowing, pouring into empty… empty pockets, somewhere in those memories, in those hearts, those minds – somewhere in there, empty pockets of air, filling up with overflowing summer to be sealed away and saved for later use. All the summer they've absorbed is slipping away, and they've suddenly grown up. Just now. _

Sora was laughing a little, hands dug deep into his pockets. "This is when the music would start. You know, like… in the movies or whatever. Something acoustic-y that makes you tear up because as soon as it starts, you know the movie's almost over and you're gonna miss all the characters so much…"

Everyone laughed. It was the sort of joke you laughed at because you didn't know anything to say, because you were just too busy thinking and feeling and processing your own shit to come up with something good to say. They lapsed into silence again, and Axel could see Demyx's foot kicking idly at Zexion's foot in his peripheral vision. After another agonizing moment of silence, he sighed and looked up.

"Alright. Well… we didn't really come out here just to stand around in the parking lot, so… I guess we should go ahead and get this whole thing over with, yea?"

Murmurs of assent circled around the group, but once again, they lapsed into a sort of Everyone's Standing Around and Nodding predicament, and this time Riku would be the one to break the cycle.

"It's been a hell of a year," he said, running a hand through his hair. After no one seemed to have anything to add, he continued. "I mean, you know… none of us were really friends this time last year."

"Oh, Riku, I'm sorry, did you think we were friends? I hope not, because actually, I think you're really gross. Roxas agrees," Axel said sarcastically, grinning as he avoided the kick Riku aimed at him. Stepping back to where he'd previously been standing, he let out a long sigh as he finished laughing, his smile remaining as he shook his head. "Seriously, though… As inarticulate as we all are, we're all gonna miss you guys. Like, a lot."

"Yea, you too," Riku replied, eyeing Sora, who was now making slight whimpering noises. "You doing ok?"

Sora looked up then, his wounded expression finding each of the others. Finally, as it landed on Axel, he seemed to break down, a tear sliding from the corner of one of his eyes as he dragged the redhead into a dramatic hug, launching into a soliloquy of how he'd miss the others so much he 'thought he might just curl up and cry every night at college.' Axel ran a hand through soft, chocolate spikes, holding the brunet tightly to his chest and smiling faintly as the goodbyes began. Sora's declaration had started the process for real, and over the shaking shoulder he could see Zexion, Demyx, and Roxas each saying goodbye to Riku.

_Sora's crying into my shirt. Crying out any summer left, and even so, even though he's crying entire fucking oceans into my chest, when I look at him, he's not a little kid anymore. Throw a university hoodie on him and maybe add a can of cheap beer to the picture and he looks like a college kid, like someone old enough to live on their own, someone with posters and a laptop and a bottomless pit of laundry, someone with a boyfriend and a major and probably a big essay due Monday, or a lab to be on time for on Tuesday, a party to be at on Friday night and a hangover to nurse on Saturday. _

Over Sora's loud sniffs and shaking breaths he could hear Riku telling Zexion about one of the professors he was looking forward to taking classes from.

"Ax, I'm gonna miss you so bad…"

"Pshh, you're gonna forget me as soon as you get there! Kid, you're gonna make so many new friends you won't even have _time_ to miss me, alright? Me, on the other hand, wasting away here in town with no one to bake me cookies…"

Sora looked up, wide-eyed, and took a step back. "What makes you think I won't bake you cookies?"

"So, you won't have an oven."

After a moment of consideration, Sora's eyes narrowed with determination. "Then my first job will be to befriend an old lady in town who has one!"

Axel snorted, hugging the spiky head to his chest again with a quiet "c'mere" and eventually stepping back, leaving a hand on each of Sora's shoulders as he leaned down to speak.

"Here's my advice, ok? Take it or leave it, except if you leave it, don't tell me, 'cause I'll be pissed."

Sora laughed, wiping his tears away from his eyes with the back of his hand as the redhead gave him a stern look.

"Beer before liquor, never been sicker. Liquor then beer, you're in the clear."

As Sora's eyes narrowed again, this time determined to understand Axel's rhyme, the redhead stepped back, turning to Riku, who had finished his other goodbyes and was standing by.

"You," he said, pointing to Riku, "You make sure this guy doesn't party too hard, ok? He's too cute. Someone'll take advantage of him if no one's around to take care of him."

Riku smiled, ignoring Sora's protests of "I can take care of myself!" and nodding in agreement with Axel's statement. "I'll take good care of him, no worries. Even if he hates me for it," he added, leaving a light kiss on the brunet's cheek before turning back to Axel. "And myself, of course. Since I'm sure you were about to tell me that next."

Axel laughed quietly, looking down for a moment before meeting Riku's eyes. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Sora smothering Zexion with a hug, and he laughed again at that, unsure of what to say to the silver-haired boy in front of him.

"Riku. Riku, Riku, Riku…"

_Riku. Come here – let's go back and sit by the river, and talk the way we do best… indirectly, that is. You know, when I saw you crying, my first thought was that you must have washed your face and forgotten to dry it off. I was shocked all over again when I saw another fat, salty tear come rolling down that cheek… I can still remember the taste of your skin, the way your tongue felt pushing against mine and the way you touched me, right afterwards, gently, almost hesitantly, as if to thank me. Sometimes, I wonder if you remember; and when I look at you and you stare straight back, like this, just like this, I know you do. You're the only one I ever let inside, the only one. You know… when you told me I needed to stop smoking pot and get my shit together, it never even occurred to me that I could say no. It's hard to believe you really did all my grocery shopping for me for those few months… Hundreds of dollars worth of food, and when I offered to pay you back, you laughed at me. _

"So, what do you think? Do I know you yet?"

"Huh?" Axel blinked, shaking his thoughts to the back of his mind again and attempting to figure out what the hell Riku was talking about.

"Don't you remember?" Riku asked, his smirk growing.

"_Maybe you knew me in second grade, but don't think that means you know me now."_

Axel felt his face break into a smile too as he remembered his own words. "I dunno, I mean, it's not like you've seen me in any embarrassingly helpless states, or hung around my place after bringing over groceries, or, you know, _talked_ to me at all."

Riku laughed a little, but they lapsed into silence for a minute, the sounds of Sora and the others going on behind them as they caught each other's eyes again.

"You know," Axel said slowly, "I never really thanked you for all that rice."

He held his hand out for Riku to shake, but when the other boy took it, he pulled him into a tight hug instead.

"And to answer your question…yea," he said quietly, his chin resting on Riku's shoulder, "Yea, I think you know me now."

As the two pulled away from each other, they were distracted by the sound of Roxas choking – Sora's embrace appeared to be inhibiting his ability to breathe, and Axel couldn't help but laugh as Riku gently pried the brunet's arms from his brother.

The rest remained a little hazy for Axel, or at least, he assumed it must – he couldn't imagine how they could have left so fast, both Sora and Riku making the rounds for looser, quicker hugs before climbing into the car, Riku waving out the window and Sora pulling up for what seemed like forever at the stop sign on the corner, and –

_Goodbye._

Four boys in the parking lot, shuffling their feet in the melting sun. After a minute, only two are left. They stand for another few minutes, talking quietly, and as the bugs start to come out for the night, they turn away from the river to walk home.

**-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

These two boys lie on the bed, the lights from the parking lot and the moon shining in enough to illuminate their faces, their bare, sweaty skin and their thin, light-weight shorts. The window is open and a small fan's been turned on, but the room is hot anyway, and humid. It's the humidity that really does it, Roxas thinks, as Axel's fingers run through his hair again, and he lets his heavy eyelids fall shut for a moment until Axel speaks; his tired voice quiet near Roxas's ear.

"Life's a tease, you know that?"

Roxas sighs, blinking slowly as he laboriously sits up to grab his glass of water from Axel's bedside table. He takes a slow slip, and another relaxed breath before lying back again.

"Hmm," he says, figuring the other boy can take his response however he'd like.

After a moment, a slow reply makes its way from Axel's mind to his lips, and despite his closed eyes, Roxas sees he hasn't just fallen asleep.

"Seriously," he says, opening an eye to look at Roxas. "Life's a big fuckin' tease."

Roxas wonders why Axel has to wait until midnight, when it's this hot, to start philosophizing. He's too sleepy to contribute anything worthwhile, and he rolls onto his stomach instead, resting his head on his arms and managing to croak a "How so?" before his eyes are closed again.

"So and Riku," Axel murmurs, a slight breeze raising goosebumps on his arms. "Life, or fate, or whatever the hell you wanna call it… it brought all these people into my life, and just when I'm gettin' used to having them all around, they're gone."

His eyes are fully open now, and he glances at Roxas, who appears to be asleep. The blond wrinkles his nose and takes a deep breath in.

"Wha bout me?" he mumbles, his words obscured by exhaustion and the fact that one side of his head is resting on his arms.

"You? What _about_ you?"

" 'm still here."

"Well, of course _you're_ still here," Axel says indignantly, whacking the blond lightly upside the head and ignoring the vague groan of protest he receives in response. "You don't count. Not even fate, or destiny, or any of that shit can keep me away from you. I mean, it seems like fate likes us anyway. How else would we have ended up together for the fundraiser? Maybe there's _two_ fates, you know? A nice one and a bitchy one, and the bitchy one tried to manipulate you into breaking up with me, but the nice one thinks we're pretty good together, so she got us back together. And it was the good one that helped me out when I fucked things over with Demyx, and brought Sora and Riku into my life, and-and Zexion. And brought Mom home. But then the bitchy one decided too much good shit was happening to me, so she took away Sora and Riku!"

Roxas cracks an eye open and looks sideways at Axel with mild confusion. "What the fuck are you talking about?"

"Ahh, nothin'."

They're quiet for a moment, and Axel listens to the train whistle as it goes by a few blocks away, the ebb and flow of traffic on the street outside and the cicadas in the trees in the parking lot. Roxas must be asleep, he thinks, the blond is so still and quiet, and he wonders if Sora and Riku and Demyx and Zexion are all sleeping somewhere now, too. He imagines Sora and Riku watching TV in their hotel room in Columbia, the volume low so they don't wake up their parents in the next room over. Next is Demyx, sprawled out with a pillow and a blanket on the floor of his new apartment amongst the boxes of his stuff, and Zexion – probably still awake, Axel thinks, since it's his first night in the dorms.

"You are so full of shit," Roxas mumbles, and Axel looks away from the spot on the ceiling he's been staring at to look at the boy. Roxas is smiling, and he laughs a little at Axel's expression.

"What do you mean? How am I-"

"You can't just say you're sad that Sora and Riku are gone, so you start rambling on and on about some weird fate shit, just… I dunno, maybe it just seems funny to me 'cause usually you make fun of people who blame shit on fate."

Axel doesn't respond, staring at the shine of the moonlight on his pale arm. After a moment, he looks up, and Roxas is still staring at him, his smile gentle and his eyebrows slightly raised.

"Hey," he says, somehow managing to shrug despite the weight of his head on his arms. "I miss them. I miss Sora like hell, and it hasn't even been a day. Hasn't been a _single night_. I cried my fucking eyes out last night when I realized it was So's last night at home. He came into my room to say goodnight to me and we sat there and sobbed like a couple of middle aged women watching a romantic movie or something, it was fucking ridiculous. We stayed up until 4 in the morning talking and finally just fell asleep, we were so tired…"

Axel laughs a little, thinking of Sora. Eventually, he sighs. "You always… you always catch me when I'm being a dumbshit, you know that? There's no getting around you. Every damn time!"

Roxas grins, closing his eyes again as Axel leans over to kiss his shoulder and the back of his neck, shivering a little as he feels long, thin fingers weaving through his hair. Axel is sitting up now, leaning back against the wall, where the headboard would be if his bed had a headboard. He hears Roxas murmuring something again, and soon the blond has shifted over to rest his upper body across the older boy's legs, nudging Axel with his shoulder until he gets the point and lowers a hand to rub his back.

The cicadas are louder than ever and Axel can feel those slim, strong fingers toying with the edge of his shorts by his knee, tracing tiny shapes across the skin of his leg, slower, slower, until he realizes he's all but stopped rubbing Roxas's back, his hand moving in vague, lethargic circles as he notices Roxas has completely relaxed, his shoulder twitching a little as Axel brushes his hair back from his face.

"Rox… you sleeping?"

"Mmmhhh…."

Moving the limp boy from his lap, Axel scoots back down until he can lie down comfortably, head resting on his pillow, then pulls the sleeping form back to his chest, smiling to himself as the blond subconsciously rearranges his limbs to his comfort.

It's 12:17, and Axel's eyes fall closed. The boys are asleep and somewhere, like clockwork, summer quietly slips away, the world left still for a single moment before the autumn breeze takes its place. Axel smiles in his sleep – he holds Roxas close, then relaxes with a sigh. The last breath of summer air exhaled, he breathes in the blond's familiar scents – sweat and soap and cinnamon sugar – and autumn begins.

* * *

Thanks again for reading, all. Stay healthy, recycle, be nice to people... that's all I got. XD Oh, and if you liked this one by chance, keep an eye out for "Dig," which should be showing up sometime vaguely soon and may or may not be quite as impossibly long as this one. Con mucho cariño...  
-paintthesilence 


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